Stamen
The stamen (plural stamina or stamens) is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower.
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament and an anther which contains microsporangia. Most commonly anthers are two-lobed 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. A pollen grain develops from a microspore in the microsporangium and contains the male gametophyte.
The stamens in a flower are collectively called the androecium. The androecium in various species of plants forms a great variety of patterns, some of them highly complex. It surrounds the gynoecium and is surrounded by the perianth. A few members of the family Triuridaceae, particularly Lacandonia schismatica, are exceptional in that their gynoecia surround their androecia.
Etymology
Stamen is the Latin word meaning "thread" (originally thread of the warp, in weaving).
Filament derives from classical Latin filum, meaning "thread"
