What you will learn
- Point to petals, sepals, anther, filament, stigma and style.
- Group anther and filament as the stamen, and stigma and style as the pistil.
- Handle a flower gently and label a clear diagram.
A flower is the part of many plants that helps make seeds. You do not need a microscope. The parts in this lesson are ones you can see on a hibiscus or another large flower: petals, sepals, and the parts of the stamen and the pistil.
The diagram uses those names. It also shows the ovary, the swollen base under the style, and the stalk that holds the flower. Those extra labels stop the picture from being a puzzle. The names to master are the ones in the list above.
Petals and sepals
Petals are often the bright parts. Their colour and shape can attract animals that carry pollen from flower to flower. Sepals are usually smaller and greener. They cover the flower while it is a bud, then open out underneath the petals.
On a hibiscus, the petals are the large coloured parts. The sepals sit at the base, like a small cup. If you are not sure, ask which part covered the bud.
Worked example 1
A bud is still closed. Which part is doing the covering job?
Show me how
The sepals cover the bud.
The petals are folded inside at this stage.
When the flower opens, the sepals remain at the base.
The stamen
The stamen is the male part of the flower. It has two parts you must name. The filament is the thin stalk. The anther is the tip that holds pollen. Pollen is the dusty material that needs to reach another part of a flower so seeds can form.
A hibiscus has many stamens, often joined in a column. You can still point to a filament and an anther on that column. Be gentle. Anthers crush easily.
Worked example 2
Which part holds the pollen, and which part holds that part up?
Show me how
The anther holds the pollen.
The filament holds the anther up.
Together they are one stamen.
The pistil
The pistil is the female part. The stigma is the sticky top that catches pollen. The style is the tube below the stigma. The diagram also shows the ovary at the base. Seeds develop from the ovules inside the ovary. For Standard 3, be ready to say stigma and style as parts of the pistil, and know that the ovary is the swollen base if the diagram shows it.
A careful drawing is large, with smooth lines, a title such as External parts of a hibiscus, and labels that touch the right part. Do not pick flowers from a park, a swamp or a neighbour yard. Ask an adult before you pick one hibiscus at home. Wash your hands. Some plant sap irritates skin.
Investigate, with an adult
Materials. One large flower such as a hibiscus, a sheet of paper, a pencil, and an adult. A hand lens is useful and not required.
Steps. Ask the adult to pick one flower. Lay it on the paper. Find sepals, petals, an anther, a filament, the stigma and the style. Sketch what you see and label those six words. Write a title.
Safety. Do not pull wild plants. Do not touch your eyes while handling a flower. Wash your hands afterwards. If the sap stings, stop and tell the adult.
Watch out! A common mistake
A common mistake is to swap stigma and anther. The anther makes and holds pollen. The stigma catches pollen. If it is sticky and at the centre top, it is likely the stigma.
Try it
TRY ITFlower lab
Let’s practise
Work each one in your copybook. Open Hint if you are stuck, then open Show answer to check.
1. Name the two parts of a stamen and the job of each.
Hint
One is a stalk and one holds pollen.
Show answer
The filament holds up the anther. The anther holds pollen.
2. Name the sticky top of the pistil and say what it does.
Hint
It is not the anther.
Show answer
The stigma catches pollen.
3. What is the style?
Hint
It is part of the pistil, below the sticky top.
Show answer
The tube below the stigma.
4. What do sepals do while the flower is a bud?
Hint
Think of a cover.
Show answer
They cover and protect the bud.
5. Why might bright petals help a plant?
Hint
Think of animals visiting.
Show answer
They can attract animals that carry pollen.
6. How is a stigma different from an anther?
Hint
One holds pollen and one catches it.
Show answer
The anther holds pollen. The stigma catches pollen.
7. List three rules for a labelled flower drawing.
Hint
Use the same habits as the life-cycle drawing.
Show answer
Make it large, give it a title, and use clear labels that touch the right parts.
8. Write one safety rule for looking at a real flower.
Hint
Hands and permission both matter.
Show answer
Ask an adult, do not pick wild flowers, and wash your hands afterwards.
Quiz
Lesson quiz: 10 questions
Answer every question, then press Check my answers. Score 8 or more to earn the Flower Mapper badge.
Parts of a Flower: worksheet
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Part A: Let’s practise
1. Name the two parts of a stamen and the job of each.
2. Name the sticky top of the pistil and say what it does.
3. What is the style?
4. What do sepals do while the flower is a bud?
5. Why might bright petals help a plant?
6. How is a stigma different from an anther?
7. List three rules for a labelled flower drawing.
8. Write one safety rule for looking at a real flower.
Part B: Quiz
1. Pollen is held by the
(a) sepal
(b) anther
(c) style
(d) bulb
2. The filament is
(a) the stalk of the stamen
(b) the sticky top of the pistil
(c) a sepal
(d) a prop root
3. The stigma
(a) catches pollen
(b) covers the bud
(c) is a fin
(d) dissolves salt
4. Sepals mainly
(a) cover the bud
(b) hold pollen
(c) evaporate water
(d) change a tadpole into a frog
5. The anther and the stigma do the same job.
True or False? Circle one: True / False
6. The style is part of the
(a) pistil
(b) sepal only
(c) thermometer
(d) solute
7. Which pair is one stamen?
(a) Anther and filament
(b) Stigma and sepal
(c) Petal and gill
(d) Egg and pupa
8. It is fine to pull flowers from a swamp for this lesson.
True or False? Circle one: True / False
9. Petals often help by
(a) attracting animals that carry pollen
(b) measuring degrees Celsius
(c) breathing under water
(d) being the solvent
10. A strong flower diagram has
(a) a title and labels that touch the parts
(b) no words
(c) only a dark scribble
(d) crossed lines and no parts
Answers (for the adult)
Part A
1. The filament holds up the anther. The anther holds pollen.
2. The stigma catches pollen.
3. The tube below the stigma.
4. They cover and protect the bud.
5. They can attract animals that carry pollen.
6. The anther holds pollen. The stigma catches pollen.
7. Make it large, give it a title, and use clear labels that touch the right parts.
8. Ask an adult, do not pick wild flowers, and wash your hands afterwards.
Part B
1. (b) anther
2. (a) the stalk of the stamen
3. (a) catches pollen
4. (a) cover the bud
5. False
6. (a) pistil
7. (a) Anther and filament
8. False
9. (a) attracting animals that carry pollen
10. (a) a title and labels that touch the parts
Recap
- Petals can attract animals. Sepals cover the bud.
- The stamen is anther and filament. The anther holds pollen.
- The pistil includes the stigma and the style. The stigma catches pollen.
- The diagram may also show the ovary at the base.
- Draw large and clear, and handle real flowers gently.
Words to know
- petal
- An outer part of a flower, often bright.
Example: Hibiscus petals can be red or yellow. - sepal
- A part that covers the bud.
Example: Sepals sit under the open petals. - stamen
- The male part, made of anther and filament.
Example: Pollen is on the stamen. - pistil
- The female part, including stigma and style.
Example: The stigma is at the top of the pistil. - pollen
- The powdery material that must reach a stigma for seeds to form.
Example: The anther holds pollen.
Try it at home
- With an adult, look at one hibiscus or another large flower and point to a petal, a sepal, an anther and the stigma. Wash your hands after.
- Draw the six key parts from memory and check them against the diagram in the lesson.
Test tips
Tips for class tests
- Stamen holds pollen. Pistil catches it. Do not swap them.
- Anther is the tip. Filament is the stalk.
- Sepals are the bud cover, not the pollen holder.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- Name petals, sepals, anther, filament, stigma and style on a diagram or a real flower.
- State the job of each, including pollen held and pollen caught.
- Draw a labelled flower and follow the handling rules.
The public-domain diagram includes the ovary and other fine labels. This lesson teaches them as extra picture words and keeps the required list on petals, sepals, anther, filament, stigma and style. Please supervise any real flower. Hibiscus sap can irritate, and wild plants should be left in place.
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Previous: Separating Dissolved Solids and Using a Thermometer
Next: Water Habitats and Wetlands
Course: Standard 3 Science
Updates
2026/11/07
– Published this lesson and linked the previous and next lessons.
– First draft of this Science lesson, with two hands-on activities, practice, a quiz badge, a worksheet and credited pictures.
Attributions to media used in this post:
Flower diagram by Mariana Ruiz, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mature_flower_diagram.svg
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.
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