Stamen

The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower, together forming the androecium. It typically consists of a filament, a slender stalk, and an anther, a sac-like structure in which pollen is produced. Pollen grains form within microsporangia in the anthers through meiosis and then mature for release.

Anthers dehisce, or split open, to shed pollen onto pollinators or the stigma of a flower. The filaments support the anthers and position them for effective pollen transfer. In many species the stamen is free and separate from other floral parts, while in others the filaments may be fused to one another or to petals, resulting in arrangements such as epipetalous stamens.

The number of stamens per flower is highly variable, ranging from a single stamen to dozens. Some species have stamens arranged in a particular whorl, while others may have sterile stamens called staminodes, which do not produce pollen but can assist in attracting pollinators or guiding them toward the fertile parts of the flower.

Stamens can be exserted (extending beyond the petals) or included (contained within the flower’s corolla). They are part of the flower’s male function, while the pistil or carpels provide the female function. Together with the pistil, the stamen contributes to fertilization and seed production, and its morphology is a key feature in the identification and classification of flowering plants.