Perfect flowers are related to hermaphroditism, bisexuality, and reproduction, at least in the plant world.
A flowering plant's reproductive system generally consists of a male component called the stamen and a female component called the pistil. The male stamen is responsible for generating pollen, tiny particles of dust containing part of the plant's genetic code. Eventually, this pollen must be delivered to the female pistil, which provides its own genetic material in the form of an ovary and a place for the combined elements to mature into fruit. Plants described as imperfect may only have a male stamen or a female pistil, but not both. They depend on insects, birds or the wind to deliver or receive pollen.
Perfect flowers, on the other hand, have both stamens and pistils in the same structure. The stamens remain very close to the pistil, releasing significantly more pollen than imperfect male plants do. These flowers are not dependent on outside influences such as insects or wind to successfully pollinate.
The vast majority of flowering and fruit-bearing plants are considered to be perfect flowers. Examples include dandelions, lilies, tomatoes, and roses, but the list also includes virtually every fruit and vegetable plant commonly found in North America. The reproductive mechanics of perfect flowers are nature's way of ensuring plants will bear fruit or form new blossoms. Self-pollinating plants almost always have the same characteristics generation after generation, with little to no mutation.
Lilies are ideal plants for those seeking to examine the structure of perfect flowers. The male stamen, loaded with pollen sacs, stands above the female pistil. When pollen is released, it falls directly into the area just above the ovaries. Once the pollen comes into direct contact with an ovary, the result should be a beautiful blossom.
