A Perfect Flower?

Is there such a thing as a perfect flower? I'd like to believe all flowers are perfect but it turns out there is such a thing as a "perfect flower".

A perfect flower is a hermaphrodite, containing both male and female reproductive parts. Typically, a male flower has stamens and a female has a carpel. Hermaphrodites (obviously) have both. Perfect flowers are self-pollinating, therefore, they will survive and reproduce without the help of insects or even wind and rain. Some perfect flowers are lilies, roses, dandelions and (for goodness sake) tomatoes. I've been using a paint brush to help pollinate my tomato flowers. I guess I don't really have to do that (although I have read it still helps).

Below you can see an illustration I found at a great site called Wayne's Word. You can see how a bisexual (perfect) flower pollinates itself.



Related Tags: perfect flower, bisexual, flower, wildflower, tomato