Squash Blooms
The way you can tell which is the male blossoms is they are generally on a long stem as if reaching to the friendly bees and other pollinating insects for help. The female flowers are tucked closer to the vine. This gives them a stronger connection to the vine for fruit production.
Cucumbers, gourds, melons, pumpkins, winter and summer squash belong to the squash family. They have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. This information is important to gardeners so they don’t get discouraged when their apparently thriving pumpkin or squash plants keep dropping flowers without producing any fruit!
As the plants mature, the first blossoms to emerge are usually male, the female flowers emerge later. The male flowers aren’t capable of producing any fruit on their own, so they wither and fall off. As the plant continues to grow the female flowers open and are pollinated by the later male blossoms.
The plants in the squash family need pollinators in order to set fruit. Pollinating insects like bees move pollen from the male to the female flowers in order for the plants to produce the fruits we enjoy.
http://www.philthegardener.com
July 8th, 2008 at
Hi Phil-
I had no idea there were both male and female blooms on such plants. I always thought the male and female parts were both in the bloom.
Now, I understand why I get fruit from some of the blooms and others I do not.
Thanks for the information.
Frank
p.s. I think I’ll start carrying a Q-tip around with me since I really don’t think my bubble bee pollinators know about male and female blooms.