Stamen

The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium. A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament and an anther which contains microsporangia. Most commonly anthers are two-lobed (each lobe is termed a locule) and are attached to the filament either at the base or in the middle area of the anther. The sterile tissue between the lobes is called the connective, an extension of the filament containing conducting strands. It can be seen as an extension on the dorsal side of the anther. A pollen grain develops from a microspore in the microsporangium and contains the male gametophyte. The size of anthers differs greatly, from a tiny fraction of a millimeter in Wolfia spp up to five inches (13 centimeters) in Canna iridiflora and Strelitzia nicolai. The stamens in a flower are collectively called the androecium. The androecium can consist of as few as one-half stamen (i.e. a single locule) as in Canna species or as many as 3,482 stamens which have been counted in the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea). The androecium in various species of plants forms a great variety of patterns, some of them highly complex. It generally surrounds the gynoecium and is surrounded by the perianth. A few members of the family Triuridaceae, particularly Lacandonia schismatica and Lacandonia braziliana, along with a few species of Trithuria (family Hydatellaceae) are exceptional in that their gynoecia surround their androecia. Stamen is the Latin word meaning "thread" (originally thread of the warp, in weaving). Filament derives from classical Latin filum, meaning "thread" Anther derives from French anthère, from classical Latin anthera, meaning "medicine extracted from the flower" in turn from Ancient Greek ἀνθηρά (anthērá), feminine of ἀνθηρός (anthērós) meaning "flowery", from ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning "flower" Androecium (: androecia) derives from Ancient Greek ἀνήρ (anḗr) meaning "man", and οἶκος (oîkos) meaning "house" or "chamber/room".