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Where does fertilization occur in flowering plants?
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Fertilization
Fertilization occurs when a sperm cell penetrates and fuses with an egg (ovum).
In flowering plants, fertilization occurs within the ovule, which is located inside the ovary of the flower.12
The process begins with pollination, where pollen grains are transferred to the stigma. Once there, the pollen germinates and grows a pollen tube down through the style to reach the ovule. Upon entering the ovule through an opening called the micropyle, the pollen tube discharges its sperm nuclei into the embryo sac, where fertilization takes place.132
Flowering plants are unique in that they undergo double fertilization: one sperm cell fuses with the egg to form a zygote, while a second sperm cell fuses with two polar nuclei to form the endosperm.41