In botanical terms, monandrous simply means to have a single

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

In orchids

A distinction between monandrous and other flowers is particularly relevant in the classification of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s. The monandrous orchids form a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

consisting of the subfamilies

Orchidoideae The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) that contains around 3630 species. Species typically have a single ( monandrous), fertile anther which is erect and basitonic. Description The subf ...

Vanilloideae Vanilloideae is one of the subfamilies of orchids belonging to the large family Orchidaceae. Lindley (1836) and Garay (1986)Garay,L. (1986), Olim Vanillaceae. Botanical Museum Leaflets. Harvard University 30 : 233-237. treated it as a separate f ...

, and

Epidendroideae Epidendroideae is a subfamily of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes ...

. The other subfamilies,

Apostasioideae Apostasioideae is one of the five subfamilies recognised within the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Only two genera, '' Neuwiedia'' and ''Apostasia'', and 15 species, are recognised within the Apostasioideae in contrast to the other orchid subfamili ...

and

Cypripedioideae Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids. Cypripedioideae includes the genera ''Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium'' and ''Selenipedium''. The ...

, have at least two stamens.

In animals

In animals, a monandrous system occurs when females have one mate at a time. For example, a female speckled wood butterfly will typically only mate once within her short lifetime. This is also common in certain bee species, like ''

Bombus terrestris ''Bombus terrestris'', the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas wher ...

'' and '' Bombus pratorum'', where a female will only mate with one male during her nuptial flight and use the sperm reserves for the rest of her life. This is also seen in a few species of stingless bees, like ''

Plebeia remota ''Plebeia remota'' is a species of stingless bee that is in the family Apidae and tribe Meliponini. Bees of the species are normally found in a few states in southern Brazil and their nests can be found in tree cavities. Depending on the region, ...

'', where the males will attempt to mate with the queen as she tries to leave the nest, but only one male will be successful in mating. In ''

Drosophila subobscura ''Drosophila subobscura'' is a species of fruit fly in the family Drosophilidae. Originally found around the Mediterranean, it has spread to most of Europe and the Near East. It has been introduced into the west coasts of Canada, the United Stat ...

,'' monandry is practiced. This is a mating behavior that is not normally observed among the ''Drosophila'' genus.

In humans

Within the gay community, monandrous is a useful substitute for monogamous, since the latter generally connotes marriage, which is sometimes unavailable.https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/monandrous

References

Plant morphology Orchid morphology {{botany-stub

In orchids

In animals

In humans

See also

References