Male or Female Plant?

How can I tell a male plant from a female plant?

—Linda Corns, Vanceburg, Kentucky

Melinda: You need to check the plant when it's flowering and take a close look at the blossoms. Female flowers contain a swollen vase-like structure called a pistil. Male flowers have long, thin filament-like structures called stamens. Some flowers are "perfect" and contain both the male and female parts. Many gardening books, encyclopedias and even some dictionaries have pictures with these flower parts labeled.