Although both sexes need not necessarily be grown side by side, the closer the male and female plants stand to one another, the better the fruiting that may be expected. Sometimes it is a good idea to graft a male branch to a female plant to ensure pollination. Identification of sexes in dioecious plants is not difficult. Fruiting plants are female. Fruitless plants are not necessarily male because even mature female plants fail to bear fruits without a supply of the right kind of pollen at the right time.
Identification of sexes is easy at blooming time.
In certain species, sex identification requires a hand lens. Male flowers lack stigmas or have undeveloped stigmas. On the other hand, female flowers have well developed ovaries and stigmas but not developed stamens. The photos illustrate typical flowers of both sexes of four common woody ornamentals. Ripe fruits of ginkgo have an objectionable odor, and mulberry fruits litter the ground when they ripen and fall.