Question

How do flowering plants reproduce asexually?

Answer 1

Flowering plants also known as Angiosperms are seed producing plants just like gymnosperms. But in contrast to gymnosperms their seed comprises of an endosperm within them and their fruits also contain the seeds.

Complete answer:
Flowering plants are known to generate gametes by the process of meiosis. A diploid mother cell undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid cells. One out of the four cells then undergo three mitotic divisions resulting in the production of immature embryo sac following which cytokinesis takes place resulting in the formation of an egg cell, two synergid cells and three antipodal cells. Meiosis also takes place in the male anther leading to the formation of four haploid nuclei which after mitotic division develops into pollen grain.

The pollen grain then contacts the female stigma and fertilization takes place resulting in formation of diploid zygote which then develop into an embryo and finally into a new plant. Flowering plants can also reproduce asexually by a process known as apomixis. In case of apomixis an unreduced embryo sac is formed due to incomplete meiosis and the embryo develops from an unreduced egg without fertilization which is termed as parthenogenesis.

Note: Angiosperms are important as they provide large amounts of livestock feed. Among them the grass family is of utmost importance followed by the legume family. Many angiosperms provides us with fruits such as oranges, apples, apricots, pears, etc. They also help to provide paper, cotton, flax, coffee, camphor as well as cocoa which has high economical uses.