Flora unveiled: the discovery and denial of sex in plants

Sex in animals has been known for at least 10,000 years, and this knowledge was put to good use during animal domestication in the Neolithic period.

In stark contrast, sex in plants wasn't discovered until the late 17th century, long after the domestication of crop plants.

Even after its discovery, the 'sexual theory' continued to be hotly debated and lampooned for another 150 years, pitting the 'sexualists' against the 'asexualists'.

Why was the notion of sex in plants so contentious for so long? 'Flora Unveiled' is a deep history of perceptions about plant gender and sexuality, beginning in the Ice Age and ending in the middle of the 19th century, with the elucidation of the complete plant life cycle.

Linc and Lee Taiz show that a gender bias that plants are unisexual and female prevented the discovery of plant sex and delayed its acceptance long after the theory was definitively proven.