How to Distinguish Between the Male & Female Part of a Flower
Flowers shapes, sizes and colors vary widely by plant species. However, most flowers do contain recognizable male and/or female reproductive parts. A single flower can have a mix of male and female parts such as with dandelions or roses---referred to as a "perfect" flower for its reproductive efficiency--or only one or the other as with cucumbers and melons---referred to as an "imperfect" flower for its reproductive inefficiency. The key to distinguishing between the parts is to learn what the parts can look like.
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Instructions
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Hold your magnifying glass over the inside of the flower. If the flower has closed petals, open the petals and then position your magnifying glass.
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Check for slender stalks topped by tips near or around the center of the flower. The tips distribute pollen and may or may not have a coating of pollen. If you see these stalks (filaments) and tips (anther), you have found the male part of the flower (stamens). If you don't see these stalks, you have a female imperfect flower containing only female parts.
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Look for a structure at the center of the flower---a slender long or short roundish single stalk rising from a bulb base, topped by one or more openings. If you see this stalk (style), bulb (ovary) and opening (stigma), you have recognized the female part of a flower (pistil). If you don't see this, you have a male imperfect flower containing only male parts.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have difficulty recognizing the female parts, cut the flower in half to see a cross-section of the parts and look for ovules and/or seeds at the bottom of the flower.
If you have additional difficulty, refer to a book or online source that shows cross-sections and descriptions of the parts of a flower for the plant species that you're dealing with.
References
- Photo Credit flower office flower image by Pali A from Fotolia.com
