Question

A dicotyledonous plant bears flowers but never produces fruits and seeds. The most probable cause for the above situation is

• A. plant is dioecious and bears only pistillate flowers
• B. plant is dioecious and bears both pistillate and staminate flowers
• C. plant is monoecious
• D. plant is dioecious and bears only staminate flowers

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

plant is dioecious and bears only staminate flowers

Answer 2

Fruits can develop from a single ovary of a single flower (simple fruit) or from several free carpels of a single flower (aggregate) or from whole inflorescence (multiple). In total, fruits develop from ovaries. This is why, a dioecious plant (unisexual) bearing only staminate (male) flowers will not produce fruits, whereas monoecious plants (bisexual) or dioecious plants bearing only pistillate (female) flowers or pistillate and staminate both can bear fruits.