A plant that has male and female flowers on the same plant is called

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

Answer: (A)

Think about where the male and female parts appear on the plant. When both types of flowers grow on the same individual, the plant is monoecious. This means you can find male flowers and female flowers on the same plant, which helps with the possibility of pollination within the plant or with others nearby; corn is a classic example, with pollen-producing tassels and ear development on the same plant. This contrasts with dioecious plants, where male and female flowers are on separate plants, so a single plant can’t produce both types of flowers. Hermaphroditic flowers contain both male and female organs in one flower, which is a different arrangement than having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.