[Taxacom] monoecious/dioecious in plant descriptions

[Mary Barkworth]

The first format is best because an individual plant cannot be dioecious. Plants can be unisexual. If a plant is unisexual, so are its inflorescences and flowers but if a taxon is monoecious, its plants are bisexual and its inflorescences could be either unisexual or bisexual but its flowers would be unisexual. 

Mary

-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Sosef, Marc
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 11:58 AM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: [Taxacom] monoecious/dioecious in plant descriptions

Dear colleagues,

I stumbled upon the question what the right/correct position is of the words monoecious, dioecious, androdioecious, etc. in a plant description. When browsing through quit some species descriptions, in Floras as well as revisions, it seems there is no consensus at all amongst plant taxonomists. The indication may appear roughly in the following places:

Monoecious. Plants up to 1 m high, ....

Plants monoecious, up to 1 m high, .....

..... Inflorescence monoecious, axillary, ......

..... Flowers monoecious, on short pedicels, ......

To me personally, the first, or maybe second option is most appealing, but I am open for any well-defended other opinion. The question is of course, are these terms an adjective, and if so to the species, the plant(s), the inflorescence, the flowers, or what?

best regards,
Marc Sosef

Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (section NHN), Biosystematics group, Wageningen University Gen. Foulkesweg 37, 6703 BL Wageningen, The Netherlands



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