Question:

The cashew plant is

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Andromonoecious = Male + Hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant.
This is a key characteristic of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and many cucurbits.
  • Monoecious
  • Dioecious
  • Andromonoecious
  • Gynodioecious
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Sex expression in angiosperms is highly diverse and dictates the pollination biology, fertilization success, and ultimate yield of fruit crops.
In fruit and nut trees, flowers can be unisexual (male/staminate or female/pistillate) or bisexual (hermaphrodite/perfect).
The spatial distribution of these flower types on individual trees or across populations defines the mating system.
Understanding this sex ratio is crucial for plant breeders and orchard managers to ensure high fruit set and optimize honeybee pollination.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

The cashew nut plant (Anacardium occidentale), belonging to the family Anacardiaceae, is classified as anromonoecious.
An andromonoecious plant produces both male (staminate) flowers and hermaphrodite (bisexual/perfect) flowers on the same individual tree, often within the same inflorescence or panicle.
In a typical cashew panicle, thousands of individual small flowers are produced over a flowering period of several weeks.
The vast majority of these flowers (often exceeding \(90\%\)) are strictly male, possessing only functional stamens.
Only a small percentage (ranging from \(2\%\) to \(10\%\)) are hermaphrodite flowers capable of developing into the cashew nut and the accessory fruit (cashew apple).
The high ratio of male flowers ensures an abundant supply of pollen to attract insect pollinators, primarily bees, to the limited number of receptive hermaphrodite flowers.
For comparison:
Monoecious plants (like coconut or maize) produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant.
Dioecious plants (like papaya or date palm) have entirely separate male and female individuals.
Gynodioecious plants produce female flowers on some plants and hermaphrodite flowers on others.

Step 3: Final Answer:

Hence, the cashew plant is characterized by an Andromonoecious sex expression.
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