What is Monoceous?
Monoceous is a commonly misspelled word for Monoicous or monoecious, a term that describes a plant’s reproductive organ in botany. Monoicous refers to a plant that has both sperm producing and egg producing reproductive organs, which means that it can reproduce by itself without the need for a partner plant. This attribute makes monoicous plants hermaphrodites, or an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs.

The term monoicous is derived from the Greek monos, meaning single; and oikos, meaning house. The term literally means ‘one house’ which pertains to the sperm and egg producing organs as belonging in one vessel (plant). The exact opposite of monoicous is dioecious, or plant species that can only produce one kind of gamete’”male or female.

Examples of monoicous plants are corn and squash. The corn produces flowers and fruits (which we know as the corn ear), wherein the male organ is in the tassel, while the female organ is in the ears. Squash will only produce male flowers early in its flowering life, but will later on produce both male and female flowers.