Which term describes a plant with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another plant?

Which term describes a plant with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another plant?

• A. Monoecious
• B. Dioecious
• C. Hermaphroditic
• D. Polycarpic

Answer: (B)

Plants with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another are described as dioecious. This means that individual plants are either male or female, so one plant provides pollen and the other bears fruit. When a plant has both male and female flowers on the same plant, that’s a monoecious situation, which isn’t the case here. Flowers that contain both male and female parts within a single flower are hermaphroditic, and polycarpic describes a plant's tendency to produce multiple fruiting cycles over time, not the separation of sexes.

Plants with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another are described as dioecious. This means that individual plants are either male or female, so one plant provides pollen and the other bears fruit. When a plant has both male and female flowers on the same plant, that’s a monoecious situation, which isn’t the case here. Flowers that contain both male and female parts within a single flower are hermaphroditic, and polycarpic describes a plant's tendency to produce multiple fruiting cycles over time, not the separation of sexes.