What are the stamens of a flower, their function and types

The male organ of the flower is known as stamen . This appears as a small elongated strand, a modified leaf, which usually protrudes from the center; this is where the stamen of the flower is found . In the same way, in the stamens is where the pollen sacs are located, which is where pollen is produced .

The set of stamens is called androecium . The androecium is one of the main parts of the male reproductive system of the vast majority of plants on our planet. In fact, both in the case of gymnosperms , those that do not protect their seeds, and angiesperms , which do protect the seeds and usually have much more showy flowers.

The stamens are formed, mainly, by two structures:

The filament of the stamens

The filament is the sterile part of the stamen and is located just below the anther. Its function is mainly structural and in the vast majority of cases it tends to have a fine, cylindrical shape; although there are species where they appear in the form of a sheet, wider and thicker. In other cases, the stamen may also lack filament.

The anther of the stamens

The anther is the fertile structure of the stamen. This is, as we have commented, attached to the filament. The way in which the anther attaches to the filament varies by species. In general, they are joined either at the base or at the back of the filament. In addition, the anther is where the pollen sacs are found where, normally, there are no more than four sacs per anther.

We recommend you read this other post about What are the parts of a flower and their functions .

The function of the stamens is the reproduction of flowering plants. Without them, the reproduction of the plants would occur only using other methods such as suckers, stolons or cuttings. Here you can learn more about the Reproduction of plants .

• Stamens are the organs that produce and contain the pollen , or genetic information, of a plant. Therefore, its purpose is to produce, store and help carry it to the ovary of a female flower to guarantee the creation of the seed .
• One of its main functions is to attract the attention of pollinators . For this reason, it is usually quite striking like the petals of the flower. However, this does not always have to be the case, or at least to the human eye, where it is sometimes difficult to identify. You can learn more about What are pollinating insects and their importance here. In addition, some stamens also produce what is known as nectar . Nectar is a liquid solution, very rich in sugars, amino acids, mineral ions and other substances, attracting animals to increase the pollination success of the flower.

There are several types of stamens in nature . We wanted to divide them into two large groups to facilitate their identification, but we have also added other possible variants at the end of the article.

Stamens connate or fused in the same spiral

• Within this classification we find the Monadelphs , those whose filaments form a kind of bundle and that are typical of the Myrtaceae family, to which the eucalyptus belong.
• There are also the diadelphs , which are those stamens that are joined together forming two bundles. This type is very characteristic of the Fabaceae family or commonly known as legumes.
• In addition, in the same classification of the connands, we find the polyadelphs , which are the stamens joined together by the filament and that come to form three or more bundles. It is characteristic of a large number of plants, among them we highlight those of the Citrus genus, such as the orange and the lemon tree.
• And finally, there are the synanterean stamens , those whose anthers are attached to a single body. This type of stamen is found mainly in the Asteraceas family, where plants such as chamomile or sunflower are found.

Stamens adnate or fused in more than one spiral

• Here we find the epipetal type stamens , where the filaments are united just at the base of the corolla. It is characteristic of many garden flowers such as those belonging to the Primulaceae family.
• The didynamo stamens are also found . Those that emerge from the flower in two pairs and that one is more elongated than the other.
• Finally, within this group, we see the tetradynamos, which are those with six stamens; two of them shorter than the rest.

Other types of stamens

Finally, we will talk about other types of stamens that can be divided according to their length, the so-called exerts , according to the position of the anthers, among which are the basifixes and dorsifixes, and even according to the dehiscence that marks how the thecae open. they produce the pollen of the flower.

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