Plants dioecious: features and interesting facts

Plants that have representatives of different sexes - male and female - are Dioecious plants. Examples of such plants - nettle, poplar, mulberry (mulberry), asparagus, spinach, willow, hemp, pistachio, podkarpus and others. But this is not a complete list.

And all the dioecious plants have flowers, but some will have "male" flowers, while others have "female" flowers. For such representatives of the flora is characterized by cross-pollination. Monoecious and dioecious plants differ in that the first have "male" and "female" flowers on one plant.

Pollution of dioecious plants

Plants dioecious from the point of view of evolutionary development are considered more perfect. They are not capable of self-pollination, and this circumstance contributes to the strengthening of the species.

For some fruit trees, it is important to have representatives of both sexes. In the process of fertilization and the production of seeds and fruits, the pollen of staminate male flowers is taken by the female stigmas. Only in this case you can get fruits. But this does not mean that every "female" plant needs to have one tree of the opposite sex.

One representative of the masculine gender will serve to pollinate a number of female plants. The approximate amount varies depending on the plant species. For example, for the fertilization of a whole grove of date palms, only a few "male" trees are planted. One male date palm tree is sufficient for pollinating 40-50 palms of the opposite sex. Often, to guarantee successful pollination, a male tree branch is planted on female trees.

Differences of representatives of different sexes of the same species

Very often it is initially difficult to determine to which house the plant belongs. But this ceases to be a secret when it comes time to harvest the first harvest - the fruits will be on the female. At the same time, the difference in the structure of the male and female flowers is noticeable. Male has little or no stigma, whereas female flower may lack stamens. Stamens in female flowers almost do not produce pollen, while the stamens of male flowers are abundantly dotted with it.

Practical application of knowledge about dioecious plants

For practical purposes it is important not only to know which plants are dioecious, but also the ability to distinguish between the sex of individuals of one species. For example, if there is a mulberry tree on the site that does not bear fruit, then most likely it is a male tree. And, in order to enjoy tasty and healthy berries, you need to plant a pair for him - a female tree. Or at least plant a branch of a female tree. And vice versa: a female tree to plant a male branch.

At the same time, if you want to buy a mulberry tree for ornamental purposes for the infield, so that you do not have to clean up permanently overripe berries, it is better to choose a male tree - it has a beautiful lush crown, but will never bear fruit.

Plants dioecious, in particular, representatives of their male part, produce a huge amount of pollen. This circumstance has a very simple and logical explanation: a female tree may not be near, so the pollen should be large enough for it to reach its goal. Male trees produce more pollen, the particles are very light and have a shape that allows you to easily "travel" on air currents.

Figs - a special dioecious plant

Figs, called still fig trees or figs, are one of the most interesting representatives of dioecious. It is considered to be the oldest cultivated plant. There is even a mention of the fig tree in the Bible.

Fig tree is not distinguished by beautiful flowering - fig flowers are small and unattractive. But this deficiency is more than offset by juicy and honey-flavored fruits. True, fruit only women's plants. Therefore, a tree grown from seeds can be, as people say, a void, that is, a male tree. But without it there will be no fruit and on female trees.

Pollination of figs is a very interesting topic for a separate study. The fact is that fig flowers are only pollinated with the help of a wasp-blastophagus. Wingless male wasps waiting for the female inside the male flower. Fertilized female blastophagus collects pollen of male flower on its body, getting out of it, and in search of new male inflorescences transfers pollen to female flowers.

Interesting Facts

Scientists have established that for human health, prone to allergies, Dioecious plants carry great danger. Among them, allergenic plants are more common. And those of them that deserve the glory of the most powerful allergens are also dioecious. But, when choosing plants for gardening, you can not refuse from dioecious plants, you just need to give preference to female individuals - they do not produce as much pollen as males, which means less influence on a person.

Under certain adverse conditions, dioecious plants, for example, hemp, can become monoecious. At the same time, male and female flowers will be displayed on one plant.

In ancient times, widely used knowledge of what is Dioecious plants. Examples of this can be found even in the history of military confrontations. For example, troops during raids on foreign territories destroyed males in date forests - it is much easier than completely cutting down all plantations, but guarantees the absence of crops and will cause significant economic damage to the state.