Like any other living being, plants too have a life cycle in which they take birth, grow, reproduce, flourish and then die. Every part of the plant is assigned with a specific work, which they perform very well. So coming to – they are assigned the task of helping in the process of fertilization. Plants have asexual fertilization in which one plant possesses one type of flower, which has sperm cells and the other type of flower has egg cells. But plants are incapable of pollinating the cells on their own, hence they require pollinators for this purpose. Pollinators are the insects, butterflies and other animals which come in contact with the flowers and then take this pollen to the other flowers. So, when pollen from one flower comes in contact with egg cells of the other flower, fertile seeds are produced, which when fall on the ground, produce plants.

Now in this entire process, the fragrance or smell of the flower plays a very important role. Insects, birds, butterflies or animals do not come to the plant knowing that they have to help them in the process of fertilization, but it is the smell of the flowers which attract these creatures. The fragrance strongly attracts the insects and brings them so close to the flower that the pollen gets stuck to their body. Then when these animals get attracted to other plants in the same manner, the pollen goes and gets fertilized with the other flower containing egg cells and results in the production of seeds. The color of the flowers also play a very important role in attracting them. All flowers do not have a similar smell and the reason behind this is that specific flowers attract specific types of pollinators only so as to make sure that the pollen gets fertilized to the right species. Some plants like orchids have a specific smell which attracts only one pollinator and hence they totally rely on these pollinators for fertilization. So, we can say that there is a specific list of flowers that attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, etc.

It is not necessary that all the flowers should smell good, but the purpose behind the smell of the flower should be met. For example Rafflesia Arnoldii, a tropical parasitic flowering plant, can attract pollinators with its smell and can carry on the process of pollination but its smell is extremely unpleasant for human beings. So, by this, we can say that the smell which we think is unpleasant may attract the specific pollinators to do their job.

Different types of fragrances from different types of flowers can only be considered as one of the wonders of nature. We all use these fragrances in the form of perfumes and scents but the major purpose of the smell of flowers is totally different from what we think. So, this was all about why flowers smell so good. Hope these flowers keep smelling good forever and we keep getting more and more flowers.

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A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Flowers may facilitate outcrossing (fusion of sperm and eggs from different individuals in a population) or allow selfing (fusion of sperm and egg from the same flower). Some flowers produce diaspores without fertilization (parthenocarpy). Flowers contain sporangia and are the site where gametophytes develop. Flowers give rise to fruit and seeds. Many flowers have evolved to be attractive to animals, so as to cause them to be vectors for the transfer of pollen.

In addition to facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans to beautify their environment, but also as objects of romance, ritual, religion, medicine and as a source of food.

Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture. The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography. Some of the more common examples include:

Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.
Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.
Irises/Lily are used in burials as a symbol referring to “resurrection/life”. It is also associated with stars (sun) and its petals blooming/shining.
Daisies are a symbol of innocence.

Flowers within art are also representative of the female genitalia, as seen in the works of artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Imogen Cunningham, Veronica Ruiz de Velasco, and Judy Chicago, and in fact in Asian and western classical art. Many cultures around the world have a marked tendency to associate flowers with femininity.

The great variety of delicate and beautiful flowers has inspired the works of numerous poets, especially from the 18th-19th century Romantic era. Famous examples include William Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and William Blake’s Ah! Sun-Flower.

Because of their varied and colorful appearance, flowers have long been a favorite subject of visual artists as well. Some of the most celebrated paintings from well-known painters are of flowers, such as Van Gogh’s sunflowers series or Monet’s water lilies. Flowers are also dried, freeze dried and pressed in order to create permanent, three-dimensional pieces of flower art.

The Roman goddess of flowers, gardens, and the season of Spring is Flora. The Greek goddess of spring, flowers and nature is Chloris.

In Hindu mythology, flowers have a significant status. Vishnu, one of the three major gods in the Hindu system, is often depicted standing straight on a lotus flower. Apart from the association with Vishnu, the Hindu tradition also considers the lotus to have spiritual significance.For example, it figures in the Hindu stories of creation.

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