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Agavaceae:
Amaryllidaceae:
Cactaceae:
Iridaceae:
Liliaceae:
Ranunculaceae:
Androecium, Stamen, Anther, Filament.
Androecium
The stamens represent the male part of the flower; collectively, they are known as the androecium.
Stamen
The stamen has two separate parts: the filament and the anther. - Example.
Anther
The anther, born at the tip of the filament is the 'business end' of the stamen; it produces the pollen which fertilises either the same flower (self pollination), or a flower on another plant (cross pollination). - Examples of anthers.
Filament
The filament is the extended limb which bears the anther. In most flowering plants, the filament consists of a single vascular strand embedded in a parenchyma ground tissue. It may be attached to one end of the anther or to the centre. In the latter case, the attachment is sometimes flexible, allowing the anther to move about in the breeze; the oriental lily is a good example.
Filaments vary greatly in length, sometimes long enough to allow the anthers to hang clear of the flower, others may be so short that the anther is almost sessile. It is this difference which largely determines whether the plant is predominantly wind pollinated (example) or insect pollinated (example) though neither method is necessarily mutually exclusive. Where the stamens hang clear of the perianth they may undergo a substantial elongation during anthesis or in the very last stages before it.
The number of stamens varies enormously from species to species, as does their relative prominence, particularly of the anthers. They may be small, retiring and inconspicuous or large, loud and 'in your face'. See a range of examples here.
The pollen develops in the pollen sac within the anther. When the anther is mature it dehisces and everts, so that the pollen is now on the outer surface, exposed to the elements. This final stage is usually timed to coincide with the flower opening.
