"Ascarina" plants are divided into three major species groups, based on the number of stamens per male flower, number of supporting flower bracts and geographic location. The flowers of the "Ascarina" species are unisexual, containing one to five stamens in male flowers, and a single carpel in females. The exception to this is "A. lucida", which can have monoecious flowers. "Ascarina" plants differ from the other members of the "Chloranthaceae" family in that male flowers can have more than one stamen, indicative of a reduction from a more advanced form. "Ascarina" flowers are anemophilous, meaning they pollinate by wind rather than by symbiosis with insects. That trait is an indication of the primitive nature of the plant.