Stamen

What Does Stamen Mean?

Known as the male reproductive organs in flowers, stamens produce pollen and feature two main parts: the stalk and the anther.

The anther opens to release pollen, which is carried by the wind or pollinating insect to the female reproductive organ, which is called a carpel, on another flower. This process, called pollination, ensures plant reproduction and involves different parts of the plant, including its gametes and ovules.

Maximum Yield Explains Stamen

When the male plant if mature enough, it will produce and release pollen from the stamen which is easily spread by wind, rain and insects.

The stamen consists of the anther, which is the site where pollen develops. In most plant species, the stamen also consists of a filament-like stalk that transmits various types of nutrients and water towards the anther. Anthers are normally attached to the middle or the base of the filament and tend to be two-lobed. This process has been known to help pollen dispersal as well as propagation.

A collection of stamen in the same flower is known as androecium. In some flowers, such as the Canna species, one can find up to 3,482 stamens in the same plant.

When both the male and female reproductive systems exist on the same plant, the plant is said to be monoecious. Monoecious plants possess some flowers that are female and others that are male, as revealed by their stamens in males and pistils in females. A dioecious plant is one where the male and female reproductive systems occur on separate plants.

Cannabis plants are dioecious, meaning that there are separate male and female plants. Hermaphrodites do occur, but typically plants are either male (with stamen) or female (with carpels), except for propagation by cloning.

Female cannabis plants are harvested for their buds and most growers only produce female cannabis plants. Breeders, however need male cannabis plants to produce pollen if seed production is desired. Cannabis growers can distinguish between male and female plants as the stamen will begin to develop between four and six weeks into the growth cycle.