Protandry is the condition in which an organism begins life as a male and then changes into a female. The condition of flowers whose male parts mature before the female ones.

Protogyny is a state in hermaphroditic systems that is characterized by development of female organs or maturation of their products before the appearance of the corresponding male product thus inhibiting self-fertilization. It is encountered in apples, pears, figworts, and among several groups of invertebrate animals.

Epigyny is an arrangement of floral parts where they are attached to or near the summit of the ovary, as in the flower of the apple, cucumber, or daffodil.

Hypogyny is the condition of a flower in which all the floral whorls arise below the gynoecium and the gynoecium is formed above the thalamus. The ovary is said to be in superior position.

Perigyny describes flowers having sepals, petals, and stamens around the edge of a cuplike receptacle containing the ovary, as in flowers of the rose or cherry.