Gynomonoecy is defined as the presence of both
female and
hermaphrodite flowers on the same individual of a plant species.[1] It is prevalent in
Asteraceae but is poorly understood.[2]
This sexual system occurs in about 2.8% of
flowering plants.[4] It is present in 3% of Silene species[5] and 23 families of flowering plants, but is most common in the daisy family,
Asteraceae.[6] Of the approximately 23000 species in the Asteraceae[7]: 480 about 200 are gynomonoecious.[8]
Gynomonoecy may be an intermediate evolutionary state between
monoecy and hermaphroditism.[9] It is also postulated to be the ancestor to
trimonoecy.[3]
^Judd, Walter S.; Campbell, Christopher S.; Kellogg, Elizabeth A.; Stevens, Peter F.; Donoghue, Michael J. (2002). Plant systematics, a phylogenetic approach (2 ed.). Sunderland MA, USA: Sinauer Associates Inc.
ISBN0-87893-403-0.