BiologyICSE Class 8 · Reproduction in Plants and Animals

The Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation in Plants (ICSE Class 8 Biology)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

A flower has four whorls: calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma, by self or cross pollination through insects, wind or water. Fertilisation follows: the pollen tube carries a male gamete to the ovule, forming a zygote; the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary the fruit.

Understand Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation

The flower is the reproductive part of a flowering plant. Its four whorls sit on the receptacle (thalamus).

Whorl (outer to inner)	Parts	Function
Calyx	sepals	protect the bud
Corolla	petals	attract insects
Androecium (male)	stamens: filament + anther	anther makes pollen grains with male gametes
Gynoecium (female)	pistil: stigma, style, ovary	stigma receives pollen; ovary holds ovules with egg cells

Calyx and corolla are accessory whorls; androecium and gynoecium are the essential whorls. A flower with both is bisexual (hibiscus); with only one is unisexual (papaya).

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a stigma.

Self-pollination: same flower, or another flower on the same plant.
Cross-pollination: a flower on a different plant of the same kind. It needs an agent and gives offspring with more variation.

Agents and the flowers they suit.

Agent	Three characteristics of the flower	Examples
Insects	large coloured petals; scent and nectar; sticky or spiny pollen	sunflower, rose
Wind	small, dull, no scent or nectar; light dry pollen in huge amounts; feathery stigma and long hanging stamens	maize, wheat
Water	small and plain; light pollen floating on the surface; long stalks that bring flowers to the surface	Vallisneria, Hydrilla

Artificial pollination (mention only): people brush chosen pollen on to a stigma and cover the flower, to breed new varieties.

Fertilisation is the fusion of a male gamete with the female gamete (egg) to form a zygote.

Flow chart (in brief). Pollen grain on stigma → pollen tube grows down the style → enters the ovule through the micropyle → male gamete fuses with egg cell → zygote → embryo.

After fertilisation. Ovule → seed (holds the embryo); ovary → fruit; petals, stamens, style and stigma usually wither.

Pollination versus fertilisation.

Pollination	Fertilisation
anther to stigma	fusion of gametes in the ovule
comes first; needs an agent	comes after the pollen tube grows
outside the ovary	inside the ovule

Draw-and-label checklist: longitudinal section of a flower. Sepal, petal, stamen (filament, anther), pistil (stigma, style, ovary with ovule), receptacle, flower stalk.

Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation: key facts

Whorls: $C a l y x : se p a l s, p r o t ec t ∣ C or o l l a : p e t a l s, a tt r a c t ∣ A n d r oec i u m : s t am e n s, p o l l e n ∣ G y n oec i u m : p i s t i l, o v u l es$; Essential whorls: androecium and gynoecium.
Pollination: Anther to stigma
Self same plant
Cross another plant
Agents insects, wind, water; Pollination is not fertilisation.
Fertilisation: Pollen tube down the style
Gamete fuses with egg
Zygote
Ovule: seed
Ovary: fruit; Ovule to seed.

	Anther to stigma
Self	same plant
Cross	another plant
Agents	insects, wind, water

How to answer Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation questions

Questions ask for the parts and functions of a flower, differences between self and cross pollination, features of pollination by a given agent, the fertilisation flow chart, or the fate of floral parts.

1For a flower, name the whorl before the part: androecium (stamen), gynoecium (pistil).
2For pollination by an agent, give three flower features with an example.
3Separate pollination (transfer) from fertilisation (fusion).
4Write the flow chart in order and mark the zygote.
5After fertilisation write the pairs ovule to seed and ovary to fruit.

Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Pollen on a bee

Suppose a bee visits a field of sunflowers all morning and lands on many flowers, and at the end of the day its legs are yellow with pollen.

Explain why sunflowers benefit from the visit, and which characteristics attracted the bee.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Pollen sticks to the bee and is carried from flower to flower.
Some of it lands on stigmas of other plants, giving cross-pollination.
The bee was attracted by the large bright petals, scent and nectar.

Answer: The bee carries pollen to other flowers; large coloured petals, scent and nectar attract it.

Memory hook: Colour and nectar call the bee.

A pea pod

Suppose a pea pod holds 7 seeds.

How many ovules were in the ovary of that flower, and how many pollen tubes had to reach them at least?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Each seed develops from one fertilised ovule, so there were at least 7 ovules.
Every ovule needs its own male gamete, carried by a pollen tube.
So at least 7 pollen grains had to grow tubes (assuming each ovule fertilised once).

Answer: At least 7 ovules and at least 7 pollen tubes.

Memory hook: One seed, one ovule, one pollen tube.

Tricks to remember Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Four jobs
Calyx Cradles, Corolla Calls, Androecium Adds pollen, Gynoecium Gives eggs.
Use it when: Whorl functions.
Small and plain, dusty and light
Wind flowers have small dull blooms and huge amounts of dry pollen.
Use it when: Wind pollination features.
Ovule to seed, ovary to fruit
Small to small, container to container.
Use it when: After fertilisation.

Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Female part · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The part of the pistil that receives the pollen grains is the:
(a) anther (b) stigma (c) ovary (d) filament

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The stigma is the receptive tip of the pistil.

Answer: (b) stigma.

Example 2: Two whorls · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the whorl that protects the flower in the bud stage and the whorl that attracts insects, and name the parts that make them up.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Calyx, made of sepals, protects the bud (1 mark).
Corolla, made of petals, attracts insects (1 mark).

Answer: Calyx (sepals) protects; corolla (petals) attracts.

Example 3: Wind or insects · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Flower P has bright petals, scent and sticky pollen; flower Q is small, green, scentless, with feathery stigmas and light dry pollen. (a) Name the agent of pollination for each. (b) Give one example of each. (c) Why does Q produce far more pollen than P?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) P: insects; Q: wind (1 mark).
(b) P: sunflower or rose; Q: maize or wheat (1 mark).
(c) Wind carries pollen at random, so most is lost; many grains are needed for some to reach a stigma (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Insects; wind. (b) Sunflower; maize. (c) Much pollen is wasted in the wind.

Example 4: Pollen tube path · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Arrange in order and say what each does: ovule, style, stigma, pollen tube, micropyle.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Stigma: receives the pollen grain, which grows a tube (1 mark).
Pollen tube: grows through the style carrying the male gamete (1 mark).
Style: the stalk through which the tube grows to the ovary (1 mark).
Micropyle then ovule: the tube enters the ovule by the micropyle and the male gamete fuses with the egg (1 mark).

Answer: Stigma, style (pollen tube grows), micropyle, ovule (fusion with the egg).

Example 5: Isolated papaya · 3 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

A papaya plant bears only female flowers and stands far from any other papaya plant; it never sets fruit. (a) Why can it not self-pollinate? (b) Suggest how the gardener can get fruit. (c) Is pollination alone enough for fruit? Explain.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Its flowers have no stamens, so there is no pollen of its own (1 mark).
(b) Transfer pollen from a male papaya plant by hand (artificial pollination) or plant a male plant nearby for insects to carry pollen (1 mark).
(c) No; the pollen tube must also reach the ovule and fertilise it, after which the ovary becomes the fruit (1 mark).

Answer: No stamens means no pollen; bring pollen from a male plant; fertilisation must follow.

Where students lose marks in Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Confusing pollination with fertilisation
Both are steps towards seed formation and are written as a single event.
Do this: Pollination is transfer; fertilisation is fusion of gametes.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing that the ovary becomes the seed
Ovule and ovary look alike in names.
Do this: Ovule to seed; ovary to fruit.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Features without an example
Questions ask for features with examples and candidates give only features.
Do this: Add sunflower (insect), maize (wind), Vallisneria (water).
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Calling sepals reproductive parts
Calyx and corolla are the visible whorls.
Do this: Only stamens and pistil take part in reproduction directly.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Name whorl and part: androecium (anther), gynoecium (stigma).
Three features for every pollinating agent.
Fertilisation flow chart ends with zygote.
Ovule to seed, ovary to fruit.

Practice questions on Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Name the male and the female whorls of a flower.
Hint
Two Latin-based words.
Answer
Male: androecium (stamens); female: gynoecium (pistil or carpels).
Q2 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): Cross-pollination can bring variation in the offspring.
Reason (R): Pollen of one plant fertilises the egg of a different plant of the same kind.
(a) (A) is true and (R) is false.
(b) (A) is false and (R) is true.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Hint
Two parent plants.
Answer
(c). Gametes from two different plants combine, so features of both appear.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Give three differences between pollination and fertilisation.
Hint
What happens, where, which first.
Answer
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma, but fertilisation is the fusion of male and female gametes. Pollination happens outside the ovary and needs an agent, while fertilisation happens inside the ovule. Pollination comes first and fertilisation follows after the pollen tube grows.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain why a grass flower has feathery stigmas, long hanging stamens and no bright petals, while a rose has bright scented petals and a smooth stigma.
Hint
Which agent does each need?
Answer
A grass flower depends on wind: hanging stamens let wind scatter the light pollen, and feathery stigmas catch pollen from the air; bright petals would be a waste because no insect has to be attracted. A rose depends on insects: bright petals and scent call them, and the stigma is sticky so that pollen carried on an insect clings to it.
Q5 · 3 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency
Read and answer.
Suppose a gardener bags a hibiscus flower before it opens, brushes pollen from another plant on its stigma and bags it again. Later it forms a fruit.
(a) Name the method. (1)
(b) Why was the flower bagged before and after? (1)
(c) What part became the fruit? (1)
Hint
Control of pollen.
Answer
(a) Artificial (cross) pollination. (b) To keep out unwanted pollen carried by wind and insects. (c) The ovary.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What do petals do?Show answer
Attract insects.
2.What carries the male gamete to the ovule?Show answer
The pollen tube.
3.What is a flower with both stamens and pistil called?Show answer
Bisexual.
4.Which is the female gamete?Show answer
The egg cell in the ovule.
5.Give one water-pollinated plant.Show answer
Vallisneria or Hydrilla.

Flower, Pollination and Fertilisation: frequently asked questions

Does self-pollination mean the same flower only?

It includes another flower on the same plant.

What is the micropyle?

A tiny opening in the ovule through which the pollen tube enters.

Are human reproductive organs covered here?

No; the syllabus names them in the same chapter, and the chapter page lists the main organs.

Is artificial pollination asked in detail?

It is a mention-only item in the syllabus.