In the plant kingdom, there are many types of
flowers and arrangements of the reproductive
parts of the flowers. Plants which have male
(staminate) flowers on one plant and female (pistillate)
flowers on another plant are said to be
dioecious. Plants that have separate male and
female flowers on the same plant are called
monoecious .
Knowing which species of
ornamental landscape plants are dieocious is
important for a number of reasons. For instance,
in order to have those beautiful red berries on
holly (Ilex species) plants, you must have at
least one male plant nearby a group of female
plants. The fruit, of course, will appear on the
females but nondescript flowers on the males
will provide the all important pollen to
complete the process. From a negative
standpoint, you want to avoid female ginkgo
trees (Ginkgo species) because the fruit from the
female tree gives off a bad odor when drops to
the ground. That is why most reputable nurseries
will only sell the male tree.
