A free printable flower structure worksheet for Grade 11 biology.
Students label ten parts of a flower, match each part to its function, order the steps from pollination to seed, match flowers to their pollinators and fruits to how their seeds are dispersed, calculate percent germination, and compare sexual and asexual reproduction in plants. 34 questions (25 marks) with a full answer key.
This free flower structure worksheet explains how flowering plants make the next generation. Students label ten parts of a flower cut in half lengthwise, match each part to its job, and put the steps from pollination to seed in order.
They then match flowers to their pollinators, match fruits to how their seeds travel, calculate percent germination, and compare sexual and asexual reproduction in plants, including why orchards use grafting instead of seeds.
A complete flower has four rings of parts on a swollen receptacle at the top of the flower stalk. Green sepals protect the bud, colourful petals attract pollinators, the stamens (anther and filament) make pollen, and the pistil (stigma, style and ovary) holds the ovules. Part B of the flower structure worksheet matches six parts to their jobs:
These two words are the most common mix-up on any flower structure worksheet. Pollination is just the delivery of pollen to a stigma. Fertilization comes after, inside the ovule. Part C asks students to order the full sequence:
Pollen lands on the stigma
A pollen tube grows down through the style
Sperm cells travel down the pollen tube to the ovule
A sperm cell fuses with the egg inside the ovule
The ovule becomes a seed and the ovary becomes a fruit
Cross-pollination, where pollen comes from a different plant of the same species, mixes genes and produces more varied offspring than self-pollination. That variation is the raw material for natural selection, covered in the natural selection worksheet.
Pollinators and Seed Dispersal
Part D of the flower structure worksheet links flower shapes and colours to their pollinators:
Flower features
Most likely pollinator
Bright petals, sweet scent, nectar and a landing platform
Insects (bees)
Small dull petals, no scent, huge amounts of light pollen, feathery stigmas hanging outside
Wind
Red, tube-shaped flower with lots of nectar but no scent
Hummingbirds
Large white flower with a strong scent that opens at night
Moths or bats
Wind-pollinated plants such as grasses and many trees make enormous amounts of pollen, because so little lands in the right place. After fertilization, seeds must travel away from the parent so the seedlings don't compete for light and water:
Fruit
How seeds are dispersed
Dandelion
Light, fluffy parachute carried by the wind
Burdock
Hooked burrs stick to animal fur
Raspberry
Eaten by animals; seeds pass through the gut
Coconut
Floats on water to a new shore
Part E of the flower structure worksheet also asks for percent germination: 42 of 50 bean seeds sprouting is 84%.
Sexual and Asexual Reproduction
Part F of the flower structure worksheet compares two strategies. Many plants can also reproduce asexually: strawberries send out runners, potatoes grow from tubers, and gardeners grow new plants from cuttings. Asexual reproduction is fast and makes exact copies, which is why every Honeycrisp apple tree is grafted from the original. Sexual reproduction is slower but creates genetic variation, which helps a species survive disease and change. Water and sugar movement through the plant is covered in the plant transport worksheet, and leaves in the leaf structure worksheet.
Flower Structure Worksheet Practice Questions
These questions match the flower structure worksheet PDF, which has the full-size flower diagram, tables and ruled answer space.
Part A – Label the Flower
Questions 1–10: label the ten numbered parts of the flower.
Part B – What Does Each Part Do?
Anther
Stigma
Ovary
Ovule
Petal
Sepal
Part C – From Pollen to Seed
Put the events in order: P a sperm cell fuses with the egg inside the ovule; Q pollen lands on the stigma; R the ovule becomes a seed and the ovary becomes a fruit; S a pollen tube grows down through the style; T sperm cells travel down the pollen tube to the ovule.
What is the difference between pollination and fertilization?
What is the difference between self-pollination and cross-pollination?
Part D – Pollinators
Bright petals, sweet scent, nectar and a landing platform
Small dull petals, no scent, huge amounts of light pollen, feathery stigmas hanging outside
Red, tube-shaped flower with lots of nectar but no scent
Large white flower with a strong scent that opens at night
Why do wind-pollinated plants, such as grasses, make far more pollen than insect-pollinated plants?
Part E – Seeds and Dispersal
Dandelion
Burdock
Raspberry
Coconut
Why is it an advantage for a plant to disperse its seeds away from the parent plant?
A student plants 50 bean seeds and 42 of them germinate. What is the percent germination?
Part F – Sexual vs Asexual Reproduction
Give two advantages of sexual reproduction in plants and one advantage of asexual reproduction. (2 marks)
An orchard owner wants every new apple tree to produce exactly the same apples as her best tree. Should she plant seeds or use cuttings and grafting? Explain. (2 marks)
Part G – Spot the Mistake
A student writes: “Pollination and fertilization are the same thing.” Explain the error and correct it.
A student writes: “After fertilization, the petals develop into the fruit.” Explain the error and correct it.
Flower Structure Worksheet Answer Key
Open each part of the flower structure worksheet answers to check your work. The printable key is at the end of the PDF.
Part A answers (Q1–10)
Stigma
Style
Ovary
Ovule
Anther
Filament
Petal
Sepal
Receptacle
Flower stalk (peduncle)
Part B answers (Q11–16)
Anther: c (makes pollen grains)
Stigma: e (sticky tip that catches pollen)
Ovary: f (holds the ovules; becomes the fruit)
Ovule: a (contains the egg cell; becomes the seed)
Petal: d (brightly coloured to attract pollinators)
Sepal: b (protects the flower while it is a bud)
Part C answers (Q17–19)
Q → S → T → P → R
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma. Fertilization is when a sperm cell fuses with an egg cell inside the ovule.
Self-pollination: pollen reaches a stigma on the same flower or plant. Cross-pollination: pollen comes from a different plant of the same species, which increases genetic variation.
Part D answers (Q20–24)
Insects (bees)
Wind
Hummingbirds
Moths or bats
Wind carries pollen randomly, so most grains never reach a stigma of the same species. Making huge amounts increases the chance that some will.
Part E answers (Q25–30)
Dandelion: c (light, fluffy parachute carried by the wind)
Burdock: d (hooked burrs stick to animal fur)
Raspberry: b (eaten by animals; seeds pass through the gut)
Coconut: a (floats on water to a new shore)
Seedlings don't have to compete with the parent (and each other) for light, water and nutrients, and the species can spread to new areas.
42 ÷ 50 × 100 = 84%
Part F answers (Q31–32)
Sexual: genetic variation, so some offspring may survive disease or a changing environment; seeds can be dispersed far and survive harsh conditions. Asexual: fast, needs only one parent and keeps good traits exactly.
Cuttings and grafting. These are asexual, so the new trees are clones of the best tree. Seeds come from sexual reproduction, so each seedling would be genetically different.
Part G answers (Q33–34)
Pollination is pollen landing on the stigma. Fertilization happens later, when a sperm cell fuses with the egg inside the ovule.
The ovary develops into the fruit and the ovules become seeds. The petals usually wither and fall off.
5 Common Mistakes on a Flower Structure Worksheet
Treating pollination and fertilization as the same. Pollen landing comes first; gametes fuse later.
Saying the petals become the fruit. The ovary becomes the fruit; ovules become seeds.
Mixing up the stigma and the anther. The stigma receives pollen; the anther makes it.
Calling the whole pistil "the ovary." The pistil is stigma + style + ovary.
Thinking all flowers need insects. Grasses and many trees are wind-pollinated.
How to Use This Flower Structure Worksheet in Class
Lesson 1: Parts A–C of the flower structure worksheet alongside a flower dissection (lilies and tulips work well).
Lesson 2: Parts D–G, then set up a bean germination test and calculate the class's percent germination.
Yes. The worksheet and its answer key are free to download and print as a PDF, with no account needed.
What are the male and female parts of a flower?
The male part is the stamen, made of the anther and filament. The female part is the pistil (or carpel), made of the stigma, style and ovary, which contains the ovules.
What is the difference between pollination and fertilization?
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma. Fertilization happens later, when a sperm cell from the pollen fuses with an egg cell inside an ovule.
What does the ovary become after fertilization?
The ovary develops into the fruit, and each fertilized ovule becomes a seed. The petals usually wither and fall off.
How are seeds dispersed?
By wind (dandelion parachutes, maple keys), water (coconuts), animals (burrs that stick to fur, or fruits that are eaten), and by pods that burst open and fling the seeds.