Sex Amongst the Inflorescence

Hosta flowers usually grow in groups, scrambling up long stalks, called scapes.  I've been waiting for these tall lavender flowers to bloom in my garden.  They and their scapes raise up right out of the center of the hosta.  The orange, yellow, red, orangish red, yellow-orange day lilies are on their last legs and its looking pretty green out there in my wild gardens.  Happily, this morning I spied this lovely.  It's the profile that caught my eye because it displays all the plant parts.  The nerd in me gets excited.  Did you know that the flowering part is called an inflorescence?!  How can you not love that?  And take a look at those loaded anthers just hanging out on stalky filaments (the white tubes).  The anthers are like the male parts, splitting to release pollen at just he right time. We all know pollen is that yellow powdery stuff that makes you sneeze but did you know that when you breath it in you are inhaling male gametes? Interesting, huh?  The filament and the anther complex are the stamen.  There are usually six of them.  The stigma is looking pretty ready, herself.  It's the pollen-receptive female tip which is at the end of the long style reaching forth.  It is like a moist, flared pad.  Ready.  Receptive.  The style's long tube connects the stigma to the ovary.  I can hear that song from long ago, "The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.  The hip bone is connected to the ...."  The ovary is the basal portion of the pistil where the eggs are contained.  The ovary, stigma and stile together are called the pistil.  Females with a pistil!  I hope you are filled with absolute wonder here and maybe laughing.  Sex amongst the hostas.  I must have learned this a lifetime ago in biology 101 but it fills my heart with joy to think about and watch as my garden grows and blooms.  And quietly reproduces.