How are monoecious plants characterized?

Monoecious plants are characterized by having both male and female flowers on the same individual plant. This allows for the potential for self-pollination, as pollen from the male flowers can fertilize the ovules in the female flowers on the same plant. This reproductive strategy can be advantageous in environments where mates are scarce, as it increases the likelihood of reproduction for the individual plant.

While flowers in monoecious plants can vary in structure and presentation, the key defining feature is the presence of both types of flowers (male and female) on a single plant, enabling it to produce seeds without the need for pollen from another plant. In contrast, dioecious plants would have separate male and female individuals, which means that pollination would require individuals of both sexes to be present.