Table 1.

An overview of flowering plant breeding system terminologies and the frequency of selected breeding systems worldwide (from Richards 1997; Renner 2014).

System	Description	Frequency
Self-compatible	Pollination of a receptive stigma by pollen from the same plant leads to viable seed.	∼61 % of species
Self-incompatible	Pollination of a receptive stigma by pollen from the same plant (or another plant carrying the same genetic recognition factors) does not lead to viable seed.	∼39 % of species
Hermaphrodite	Plants monomorphic. All flowers on an individual plant are functionally male and female (i.e. cosexual). Plants can potentially self-pollinate by pollen transfer to a receptive stigma within or between flowers.	∼72 % of species
Monoecy	Monomorphic. Flowers on an individual plant are either male or female. Plants can potentially self-pollinate by pollen transfer from male flowers to female flowers.	5–6 % of species
Gynomonoecy	Monomorphic. Flowers on an individual plant are either cosexual or female. Plants can potentially self-pollinate either by pollen transfer within cosexual flowers or transfer of pollen from cosexual to female flowers.	∼2.8 % of species, common in Asteraceae
Andromonoecy	Monomorphic. Flowers on an individual plant are either cosexual or male. Plants can potentially self-pollinate by pollen transfer within cosexual flowers.	∼1.5 % of species
Dioecy	Dimorphic. Plants are either entirely female or entirely male. Plants cannot self-pollinate.	5–6 % of species
Gynodioecy	Dimorphic. Plants are either entirely female or entirely hermaphrodite. Females cannot self-pollinate. Hermaphrodites can potentially self-pollinate.	∼7 % of species