Flower development is the process by which
angiosperms produce a pattern of
gene expression in
meristems that leads to the appearance of an organ oriented towards
sexual reproduction, a flower. There are three
physiological developments that must occur in order for this to take place: firstly, the plant must pass from sexual immaturity into a sexually mature state (i.e. a transition towards flowering); secondly, the transformation of the
apical meristem’s function from a vegetative meristem into a floral meristem or
inflorescence; and finally the growth of the flower’s individual organs. The latter phase has been
modelled using the
ABC model, which endeavours to describe the biological basis of the process from the perspective of
molecular and
developmental genetics.