The Phytolacca dioica in front of you is a giant herb native to the subtropical area of South America and is known as bellaombra or ombú.
As its name indicates, it is a dioecious species, which means that the specimen can be male or female. The specimen of Marimurtra is female, therefore, its flowers contain ovules. In order for it to reproduce, it will be necessary for the pollen from a male flower to reach the egg and fertilize it.
A wide variety of reproductive systems exist in the plant kingdom, both sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction in plants involves the formation and subsequent union of male and female genetic material, a process in which flowers play a crucial role. In nature we find monoecious species and dioecious species. Monoecious species have male and female flowers on the same plant, on the other hand, in the case of dioecious species, there are male and female individuals.
More information
- Sexual reproduction in plants is a fascinating process that involves the joining of male and female genetic material to create a new generation. Flowers, with their reproductive parts, are key in this process.
- Monoecious species have male and female flowers on the same plant. However, these plants often develop mechanisms to avoid self-fertilization, thus promoting genetic variability.
- Self-incompatibility in monoecious plants is a common phenomenon in many monoecious plants. This biological system prevents fertilization when the pollen comes from the same plant or from plants with genetically similar genes. These mechanisms prevent self-fertilization and promote reproduction with other plants, contributing to greater genetic diversity.
- A specific case, the Phytolacca dioica. A fascinating example of a dioecious species, which has separate male and female individuals. In this case, the female specimen produces flowers with ovules and reproduction is completed by the transfer of pollen from a flower of a male specimen, thus avoiding self-fertilization.
- Pollen transfer mechanisms are essential in the process of sexual reproduction. The transfer can occur thanks to the wind, insects or other biological agents that carry the pollen from the male flower to the female.
Understanding the different reproductive systems in the plant kingdom, including self-incompatibility mechanisms in monoecious plants, offers us a more complete view of the complexity and diversity of plant reproduction.