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How do dioecious plants reduce self-pollination?
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pollination
Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) pollinating a honeysuckle (Lonicera species) flower.
Dioecious plants reduce self-pollination by physically separating the sexes onto different individuals. In these species, some plants produce only "male" (staminate) flowers, while others produce only "female" (pistillate or ovule-producing) flowers.12
Because an individual plant possesses only one type of reproductive structure, it is biologically impossible for it to fertilize itself. This structural strategy ensures genetic outcrossing, as pollen must be transferred from a male plant to a separate female plant to facilitate cross-pollination. Examples of such plants include willows, date palms, ginkgo, and cannabis.3421