Lesson 9 of 13 · 6 min
Androecium
NCERT §5.5.1.3
Nithya taps a china rose flower and pollen dusts her finger from a single column in the centre, where dozens of stamens are joined together. The pea flower hides its stamens in the keel, joined in a different way.
The lesson in notes
In short
The androecium is made of stamens. Each stamen is a male reproductive organ with a stalk, the filament, and an anther.
An anther normally has two lobes, and every lobe holds two pollen-sacs, the chambers in which pollen grains form. A typical anther therefore has four pollen-sacs.
A sterile stamen is called a staminode.
Epipetalous: stamens attached to the petals, as in brinjal. Epiphyllous: stamens attached to the perianth, as in lily.
Polyandrous: the stamens stay free of each other.
Monoadelphous: stamens united into one bundle, as in china rose. Diadelphous: two bundles, as in pea. Polyadelphous: more than two bundles, as in citrus.
Filament length can differ among the stamens of one flower, as in Salvia and mustard.