Natural Science Forum / Biology / Botany / January 2005

I asked this question several years ago in this forum and eventually
came across the answer. I think it was listed in an old botanical
dictionary. The term for a plant species with bisexual or perfect
flowers is synoecious or synecious. I guess it would translate as
"united house."
http://www.life.uiuc.edu/plantbio/digitalflowers/Flowers/13.htm

Just a couple weeks ago, I searched for this word with no luck, although
I remembered it from somewhere.  However, Vascular Plant Systematics, by
Radford, Dickison, Massey, and Bell (the old "telephone book"), has two
other words for plants that have entirely perfect flowers:  monoclinous
and hermaphroditic.

It appears we have 3 synonyms for this trait, and there is no wonder why
people think botany is replete with an overabundance of terminology.  So
which term has priority?  Can we conserve one and reject the others?  Or
perhaps they don't mean exactly the same thing.  Someone should do a
terminology revision, and see what usage circumscriptions the type
usages fall into.  We may need another term altogether!

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-plant-ed@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
[mailto:owner-plant-ed@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk]On Behalf Of David R.Hershey
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 1:32 AM
To: plant-ed@net.bio.net
Subject: Re: Monoecious, Dioecious and ?

I asked this question several years ago in this forum and eventually
came across the answer. I think it was listed in an old botanical
dictionary. The term for a plant species with bisexual or perfect
flowers is synoecious or synecious. I guess it would translate as
"united house."
http://www.life.uiuc.edu/plantbio/digitalflowers/Flowers/13.htm
---

After seeing the good responses from David Hershey and Doug Jensen, I
decided
to take a peek at the Random House Webster's Unabridged.  The following
definitions in Webster might be of interest:

SYNOICOUS: Bot. having male and female flowers on one head, as in many
composite plants.  Also, synecious, synoecious.

<this wouldn't appear to be what is sought, namely a plant with all
perfect flowers>

MONOCLINOUS: Bot. (of a plant, species, etc.) having both the stamens and
pistils in the same flower.

HERMAPHRODITIC: Bot. monoclinous.

Then, of course, there are polygamous species, with both bisexual and
unisexual
flowers on the same plant... just to complicate life.

(bill)

William K. Purves
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