Some plants have a mix of male and female
flowers;
some have a mix
where some flowers are only male,
some are only female,
and some are both male and female.
Messy sex
In front of our house
two Chinese Pistache—
a large male and a small female—
perform their annual ballet.
In the spring the male develops
immense pollen fronds
that carpet our driveway
cover our cars
stick to the soles of our shoes
and track into our home.
In the summer the female bears
bushes of small red nuts
too small for even the squirrels
that hang on after the leaves
until the winter winds knock them underfoot
where they crackle as we step on them.
A priori
Simply because it’s so prevalent,
we know that sex confers
an evolutionary advantage.
Similarly, it’s easy
for us to see red berries
among green leaves,
and fats and sweets taste good,
and bleeding hurts,
and falling in love is normal,
although we must observe
that having an evolutionary advantage
doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Rudolf Jakob Camerarius surgically removed the parts of
caster oil plants, maize, spinach, and dog’s mercury, and he
physically isolated male from female plants to establish his
hypothesis that plants reproduce, like animals, sexually. Within
twenty-five years, Thomas Fairchild was selectively breeding
flowers. By 1865, Gregor Mendel had carefully cross-pollinated
thousands of garden peas to demonstrate the laws of heredity, the
basis today of genetics.
Rudolf Jakob Camerarius surgically removed the parts of caster oil plants, maize, spinach, and dog’s mercury, and he physically isolated male from female plants to establish his hypothesis that plants reproduce, like animals, sexually. Within twenty-five years, Thomas Fairchild was selectively breeding flowers. By 1865, Gregor Mendel had carefully cross-pollinated thousands of garden peas to demonstrate the laws of heredity, the basis today of genetics.
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