False-colour scanning electrom micrograph (SEM) of the ovary of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, showing an ovule (egg) attached by a stalk or fun

---

False-colour scanning electrom micrograph (SEM) of the ovary of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, showing an ovule (egg) attached by a stalk or funicle to the capsule wall. Each ovule consists of a central mass of material called the nucellus, within which is the embryo sac containing a large egg cell. The nucellus is surrounded by two layers of tissue, the integuments (skin, seen here), except for a small passageway called the micropyle, through which the male gamete gains access to the egg cell. If fertilized, each ovule becomes a seed, the integuments becoming the outer seed coat. Magnification: X35 at 35mm size. Coloured pink. Original is BW print B765/006.

---

Size: 3820px × 4843px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: botany, electrom, flower, flowering, funicle, micrograph, nature, opium, ovary, ovule, papaver, part, parts, plant, plants, poppy, scanning, sem, somniferum