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Botany · Ch 4 — Reproductive Morphology

Flower sex

4.2.2

Flower sex

Flower sex refers to whether an individual flower carries both essential whorls or only one. A perfect (bisexual, or monoclinous) flower has both an androecium and a gynoecium present together. An imperfect (unisexual, or diclinous) flower has only one of the two essential whorls; if it has only the androecium it is called a staminate flower (functionally male), and if it has only t …

Figure 4.11Bisexual, male and female flowers

What this figure shows. Three photographic panels: (a) a bisexual (perfect) flower showing both stamens and a pistil together at the centre; (b) a male (staminate) flower showing only stamens, with no pistil present; (c) a female (pistillate) flower showing only a pistil, with no stamens …