From Flower to Fruit

How does pumpkin fruit form?

The pumpkin fruit comes from the female flower. Pumpkins have separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers contain the pollen, which is transferred to the female flowers by bees. The female flower is made up of the stigma, style and ovary. The stigma is sticky and holds the pollen, which then travels down to the ovary, fertilizing the flower. The ovary is what develops into your pumpkin!



















Pumpkin plants just beginning to flower -33 days after planting.




















Closer view of pumpkin flowers. Why do you think the flowers are yellow? Why do you think pumpkins have separate male and female flowers? Why might this be important for the plant?





















What do you see inside the flower? Are bees the only pollinators of pumpkins?




















How many days do you think it takes for a fruit to form after it has been pollinated? What happens to the flower petals after the fruit begins to swell?

What questions do you have about pumpkin development?

2 comments:

  1. how long to a pumpkin grows out of there flower

    ReplyDelete