Difference Between Male and Female Plants

Main Difference – Male vs Female Plants

Male and female plants are two types of sexual morphology found in sporophyte of flowering plants. The flower is the sexual structure produced by the sporophyte of angiosperms. Both male and female sexual organs are found in flowers. The androecium is the male sexual organ, which produces the male gametophyte, pollen grain. The gynoecium is the female sexual organ, which produces the female gametophyte, ovule. Two types of flowers are found: unisexual flowers and bisexual flowers. Unisexual flower-bearing plants can be either monoecious or dioecious. Dioecious plants contain male and female flowers in separate plants. The main difference between male and female plants is that male plants only contain male sexual organs in their flowers whereas female plants only contain female sexual organs in their flowers.

This article studies,

1. What are Male Plants
      – Definition, Structure, Characteristics
2. What are Female Plants
      – Definition, Structure, Characteristics
3. What is the difference between Male and Female Plants

What are Male Plants

Plants that only contain male sex organs in their flowers are called male plants. Hence, male plants are dioecious plants, bearing unisexual male flowers. Plants like Cannabis, papaya, holly and ginkgo contain separate male and female plants. The androecium is the male sexual organ of the flower, consisting of an anther and a filament. Pollen grains are produced inside the anther. The opening of the ripened anthers releases pollen grains into the external environment. Mature pollen grains contain two nuclei: tube nucleus and generative nucleus. They are dispersed by wind, water, insects or animals. After a successful pollination, the pollen grain is germinated into male gametophyte inside one of the female sexual organ of another flower of a different plant in the same species. Tube nucleus produces the pollen tube, which grows into the ovary, carrying sperm cells into the ovule.

Figure 1: Cannabis male plant

What are Female Plants

Plants that only contain female sex organs in their flowers are called female plants. Female plants are also dioecious plants, bearing unisexual female flowers. The gynoecium is the female sexual organ of the flower, containing stigma, style, and ovary. Stigma receives the pollen grain during pollination. The style is the tube on top of the ovary, which bears the stigma. The pollen tube grows through the style until it meets the ovary. The ovary produces ovules. The ovule is the female gametophyte, containing an egg cell. One ovary may contain several ovules. Double fertilization occurs in angiosperms, of which one sperm cell fertilizes the egg cell, and another sperm cell fertilizes the central cell in the embryo sac. The central cell contains two haploid nuclei. Therefore, fertilization of the central cell by a sperm cell produces a triploid cell. The process is hence called triple fertilization. After a successful fertilization, ovule is developed into a seed, and the triploid central cell is developed into the endosperm.

Figure 2: Cannabis female plant

Difference Between Male and Female Plants

Definition

Male Plants: Male plants are plants that consist of male flowers.

Female Plants: Female plants are plants that consist of female flowers.

Flowers

Male Plants: Flowers contain anther and a filament.

Female Plants: Flowers contain stigma, style, and ovary.

Seeds/Fruits

Male Plants: Male plants do not produce seeds or fruits.

Female Plants: Only female plants produce seeds and fruits.

Significance

Male Plants: Male plants are not economically important.

Female Plants: Female plants are economically important since they produce seeds and fruits.

Conclusion

Male and female plants are two types of sexual morphologies of dioecious plants. Dioecious plants consist of unisexual flowers. Unisexual flowers are considered as incomplete flowers since they contain male or female parts in separate flowers. Male plants contain male flowers and female plants contain female flowers. Female plants are capable of producing seeds and fruits while male flowers are not. This is the main difference between male and female plants.

Reference:
1. “Formation of Sex Cells.” The Structure and Functions of Flowers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2017. <http://leavingbio.net/thestructureandfunctionsofflowers%5B1%5D.htm>.
2. “Topness, Ellen Swanson. “What Are the Sex Organs of the Flower?” EHow. Leaf Group, 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 May 2017.

Image Courtesy:
1. “marihuana, cannabis” by MarihuanayMedicina (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Cannabis (Sour Diesel) Flower” By Alapoet – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia