| Organs and tissues involved in the production
and maturation of gametes and in their union and subsequent
development as offspring. In zoology, the term "reproductive
system" refers only to the set of
organs used for sexual
reproduction. (female
individuals are fertilized by
male individuals, producing
offspring).
In contrast,
plant reproduction is complicated by
the potential for reproductive modes beyond mating of distinct male and
female individuals. For example, most
flowering plants have
flowers that are
perfect or bisexual (male
and female organs combined). This allows the possibility, at least, of
self-fertilization.
Finally, many plants can reproduce
asexually (For instance, runners
or stolons grow into new plants)
But
in some species, asexual
reproduction mimics sexual reproduction with
fruits and
seeds produced without
fertilization. |