Question

Cleistogamous flowers are invariably autogamous because?

Answer 1

Cleistogamous Flowers :

1. Autogamous species are those whose ovules are (predominantly) fertilized by pollen from the same flower, whereas allogamous species are those whose ovules are fertilized by pollen from another flower, typically from a different plant.
2. One instance of autogamy found in flowering plants is self-pollination.
3. Self-pollination takes place when the sperm in the pollen from a plant's stamen travels to its carpels and fertilizes the egg cell there.
4. The cleistogamous means that the anther and the stigma lie very close to each other within the same flower.
5. As both anthers, as well as stigma, lie close to each other, these flowers are bisexual.
6. These type of flowers remains closed even after their maturity and therefore self-pollination occurs in these flowers.
7. As they remain closed, they are invariably autogamous types of flowers.
8. Examples include Cardamine, viola, oxalis, and commelina.