The Role of Ovaries & Ovules in Flowering Plants

Identification

• Ovaries are the protective casing that contains one or more ovules. Ovules carry an embryo sac, which contains an egg and two specialized cells called polar nuclei.

Location

• A flower's ovary is located in its base, below the pistil. The flower's ovule, or ovules, are tucked inside the ovary.

Pollination

• Every grain of pollen contains two sperm cells. When pollen lands on a flower's pistil, the sperm cells travel downward into the ovule.

Ovule Function

• The Estrella Mountain Community College website explains that inside the ovule, one of the pollen's sperm cells fertilizes the egg, and the other bonds with the polar nuclei. The egg becomes an embryo, and the polar nuclei become a starchy material, called endosperm, that the embryo will use for food when it germinates. Together, the embryo and endosperm make up a seed.

Ovary Function

• Once an ovule becomes a seed, the ovary surrounding it expands and thickens into a fruit. The fruit eventually rots or is carried off and eaten by animals. The seeds are dispersed and grow into new plants.