Tree Flowers in the Spring

Red Maple Flowers

Did you know that trees have flowers? Some are beautiful and pleasantly scented, such as those of the lilac catalpa. You may be familiar with linden flowers. They have a wonderful odor, but are small and green.

All trees have flowers, although we don't always notice them. Flowers are necessary for tree reproduction.

Parts of the Flower

The flowers of most trees are not readily evident. They often don't have petals and are frequently green or reddish, which makes them hard to distinguish from leaves. Flowers appear at almost the same time as leaves, in the spring, and are often contained in the same buds. They remain on the trees only a few days, just long enough to be fertilized.

Some trees have two kinds of flowers: male and female. The male flowers only produce pollen; the female flowers only have stigma. Most trees rely on the wind to spread pollen to their female flowers. If you look at puddles or even on cars in the spring, you may notice a fine, yellow powder. It's tree pollen.

By the way, do you know what the flowers of conifers are? They're the cones!

The pollen is deposited on the female parts of the flower and fertilizes them. Then, the fruit begins to develop.