honblomma

Honblomma is a Swedish term that, in everyday language and some horticultural writing, refers to the female flower of a plant. The word is a compound of hon, meaning she or honey in Swedish, and blomma, meaning flower. In botanical practice, honblomma is not a formal taxonomic category but a descriptive label used to distinguish the sex of flowers on plants in contexts where flowers are unisexual.

In botanical terms, many plant species produce separate male and female flowers on the same individual or on different individuals (dioecious species). The female flowers, or honblommor, contain the ovary and pistil, and they are capable of developing fruits after successful pollination. Male flowers, by contrast, bear pollen-producing stamens. Some species have perfect or bisexual flowers that contain both male and female reproductive structures in a single blossom, in which case the label honblomma would not typically apply.

Etymology and usage vary by region and audience. In Swedish-language field guides, gardening manuals, and educational texts, honblomma helps readers identify which blossoms contribute to fruit set. In literary or cultural contexts, honblomma can be used metaphorically to evoke femininity, bloom, or fertility.

See also: dioecy, monoecy, flower anatomy, pollination, fruit set.