All TYPES of hermaphroditic plants

The hermaphrodite plantss par excellence are the angiosperms with bisexual flowers. However, there are other types of vegetables in which both sexes are present in the same plant. This is the case of many gymnosperms (plants without flowers) and 5% of angiosperms. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will look at all types of hermaphrodite plants with examples in each of the cases.

Broadly speaking, hermaphroditism is defined as the condition in which a living organism presents each of the two sexes (male and female). The presence of the two sexes can occur at the same time or take place sequentially.

The sexual organs of plants or gamete-producing organs are the structures that are called flowers. However, the flowers that plants present angiosperms and gymnosperams They have very different aspects due to the pollination strategies (dispersal of the pollen that is the male gametophyte) used by each of these groups.

• Angiosperms are very showy flowering plants. This is due to the strategy of pollination by means of animals
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  (usually insects or birds like hummingbirds) commonly used by angiosperms. In this case, the flowers produce nectar, an attractive substance, rich in nutrients that pollinating animals use as food. They also tend to have a very striking appearance, such as colored petals or the emission of aromatic substances, which facilitates their location.
• Instead the gymnosperms produce very inconspicuous flowers, because this group of plants follows pollination strategies, it is associated with the pollen dispersal by wind, which makes the presence of showy structures or the production of attractive substances unnecessary.

In hermaphroditic plants the presence of both sexes makes possible the selfing, guaranteeing the survival of the species in situations in which an individual is isolated. However, self-fertilization has the disadvantage that it decreases the degree of variability in the offspring, which becomes less adaptable to changes.

In the case of angiosperms, plants with bisexual flowers (hermaphrodites) are the vast majority, representing 90% of the species. These are plants in which both sexes are found in the same flower, as occurs in many cultivated plants, be they fruit trees, vegetables or ornamental plants. Is he most common type of hermaphroditic plant.

Angiosperms are showy flowering plants. In the case of angiosperms, bisexual flowering plants are the vast majority. These are plants in which both sexes are found in the same flower, as occurs in many cultivated plants such as the apple tree, the orange tree or the onion. It is the most common type of hermaphroditic plant.

Thus, most species of angiosperms have hermaphroditic flowers, in which the following parts are distinguished: the calyx (formed by sepals and petals) that forms an envelope external, with the stamens (male sex organs) and the gynoecium (female sex organ) located in the inside.

Examples of angiosperms

exist numerous examples of hermaphroditic flowering plants, since, as we have already commented, it is the most numerous group of plants. Many of these vegetables have a commercial interest and are cultivated on a large scale, among one of the most widespread plant families and that groups more plants of interest for human consumption is the Rosaceae family which contains multiple examples of flowering plants hermaphrodites. Let's see some of them.

• Rosaceae family: This family of plants, which includes some two thousand species, is made up of plants of the most diverse aspect; from annual herbaceous plants or woody and perennial plants. All plants of the Rosaceae family produce flowers that usually have a calyx with five sepals and five petals, the stamens are usually very abundant (generally around 20) and the pistils have very diverse morphologies. Some examples of rosaceae with hermaphroditic flowers are:
• Shrubs or herbaceous plants: The following examples are plants with hermaphroditic flowers whose pistils They are multiple and a single flower produces more than one fruit that are presented in groups and are called added fruits. Some examples are: Blackberry bush (Rubus ulmifolius), Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Strawberry (Fragaria vesca).
• Fruit trees: a large number of fruit trees, although not all, are species with hermaphroditic flowers. These are species with great commercial interest and which are cultivated to obtain the fruits they produce. They produce hermaphroditic flowers with multiple stamens and a single pistil which gives rise to a type of fruit called drupe, which has a fleshy outer part and houses a single seed inside. Some fruit trees with hermaphroditic flowers are: Apple tree (Malus domestica), Plum (Prunus domestica), Almond (Prunus dulcis) or Peach tree (Prunus persica).

In all cases, these are trees in which flowering occurs in spring, before they sprout. leaves, producing, in the fields where they are cultivated, spectacular landscapes during the period of flowering.

Monoecious plants are plants that have flowers in the same individual male and female. These types of plants are relatively abundant in the case of the gymnosperms and instead they represent only 5% of flowering plants (angiosperms).

Examples of monoecious gymnosperm plants

Coniferous family: Within the class of conifers we find numerous examples of families that present male and female flowers on the same plant. As we have already discussed, gymnosperm flowers have a very different appearance than angiosperms. In this case they are simple structures without petals or sepals and always with a single sex. The female flowers they have and when they mature they become woody, to form false fruits that contain the seeds and are called pineapples. The male flowers are smaller in size, elongated in appearance herringbone shape and is formed `` by numerous scales, contain pollen sacks with structures that help air dispersal, such as floats.

• Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens)
• Fir tree (Abies alba)
• Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)
• Stone pine (Pinus pinea)

Examples of monoecious angiosperm plants

Although they represent only 5% of the total species of angiosperms plants, we mention by Finally, some examples of species of angiosperms that present flowers of both sexes in the same plant. These are species that have an important economic interest and that are widely cultivated in many areas of the world.

• Corn (Zea mays): In this grass the female and male flowers are separated. Male flowers are born earlier and form a "tuft" at the end of the stem. The female flowers emerge later and form the ear, which contains a large number of female flowers arranged around a broad axis.
• Cucurbitaceae family: Although not all plant species in this family are monoecious, the cucurbits provide us with several well-known examples of flowering plants of both sexes. It is a family that includes about 760 species that preferably inhabit warm climates. Apart from some exceptions, they are herbaceous, creeping or climbing plants that always present flowers of both sexes located, in some cases, on the same plant as in the following examples:
• Butternut squash (Cucurbita pepo): This plant is a large, rapidly developing annual herb that grows in a lying position, occupying large areas. It has large male and female flowers (between 8 and 10 centimeters) on the same plant, both orange and with the calyx attached to the corolla. Male flowers have five stamens and usually bloom earlier than female flowers, which have a compound pistil with three stigmas. The different varieties of this species produce fruits such as squash and zucchini.

Very similar to the pumpkin, they also have flowers of both sexes on the same plant, the cucumber and melon plants, which are varieties of the same species: Cucumis melo.