Description

• The peach flower has white petals with deep red stamens. A single pistil extends from the center of the flower with a circle of stamens surrounding it. The ovary is in the center of the flower at the base of the pistil. Inside the ovary is the egg sac that holds the eggs until fertilization occurs.
  
  

Function

• The function of a peach is to protect the seed located in the center of the fruit. The fruit also aids in the dispersal of the seeds. The flesh of the peach attracts animals that eat the fruit but leave the seeds unharmed. The animal helps transport the seeds, and the animal's digestion helps weaken the hardened seeds, preparing them for germination.
  
  

Process

• Pollinators, such as animals, insects and wind, transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma of the open flower buds. When the stigma recognizes and accepts the pollen, the pollen drills tubes down the pistil into the ovary, so that sperm can enter the ovary to access the eggs. The sperm and the egg join and the ovary enlarges to become the fruit. As the ovary grows, the other parts of the flower recede until the fruit, containing the seeds, is all that remains.
  
  

Buttoning

• Peach buds require a sufficient cooling period during winter to release them from dormancy. When the winter is not cold enough or does not last long enough, the flower buds will open on a delayed schedule. A lack of cold will also reduce the number of fruits and the quality of the fruit the peach tree produces. Because of the delayed flowering, the development of pollen is delayed. The result is fruit that is improperly formed with dead seeds, which is called buttoning.