Why is it technically incorrect to refer to stamens and carpels as male and dfemale sex organs?

Question

as mentioned above. thanks!

Answer 1

Wow, I'm sorry I recently realized that I had missed a huge reason. Here is the correct reason:

Well, the stamen and carpel are seperate plants from the flower you see. They are gametophytes liveing off the sporophyte which gave rise to it.

This is because plants go through what is called "alternation of generations" where they alternate from being a haploid to a diploid (and back) every generation. The sporophyte is a diploid (2n) that makes haploid (n) spores which become its own plant called a gametophyte. Gametophytes produce gamets (the pollen and the ovum) which combine to make a new sporophyte.

So, on a flower the thing you see growing for the most part is a sporophyte, the stamen and carples are gametophytes which make new sporophytes (seeds). So when you grow a flower, harvest the seeds and plant them the first flower would be the grandparent of the newer flower.

Answer 2

Because plants don't reproduce through sex. They pollinate, they don't copulate.