Ascarina plants are divided into three major groups of species, based on the number of stamen 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 the 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.