An Overview of Dichogamy in Angiosperms

Abstract

Dichogamy refers to maturation of sex organs in plants at different times. It has been monitored in plants for over 250 years. It is not a simple process and has many aspects. It is widespread in angiosperms and mainly divided in two main types; proterandry and proterogyny. In degree it may be partial (incomplete) or complete. Dichogamy may be intrafloral or interfloral. In former, it is expressed within a flower, in latter, it exists among flowers in diclinous species. It can be interpreted as a floral mechanism favouring cross-pollination. Proterandry and proterogyny are safeguards against self-pollination. In this review, we discussed patterns of occurrence and importance of dichogamy in the light of previous studies.