Androecium
Study of the male reproductive part of the flower, including stamens (filament, anther), cohesion (monadelphous, diadelphous, polyadelphous), and adhesion (epipetalous, epiphyllous).
What is Androecium?
The collective term for all the stamens in a flower, forming the male reproductive whorl.
Key points
- Identify the components of the androecium.
- Describe the structure and function of a stamen.
- Differentiate between cohesion and adhesion in stamens.
- Recognize different types of stamen fusion (monadelphous, diadelphous, polyadelphous, epipetalous, epiphyllous).
Common exam trap
Confusing androecium with stamen.
Definitions
- Term
Androecium
- Meaning
The collective term for all the stamens in a flower, forming the male reproductive whorl.
- Term
Stamen
- Meaning
The individual male reproductive unit of a flower, typically consisting of a filament and an anther.
- Term
Filament
- Meaning
The stalk that supports the anther.
- Term
Anther
- Meaning
The part of the stamen that contains the pollen.
- Term
Monadelphous
- Meaning
Condition where all stamens are fused by their filaments to form a single bundle.
- Term
Diadelphous
- Meaning
Condition where stamens are fused by their filaments into two bundles.
- Term
Polyadelphous
- Meaning
Condition where stamens are fused by their filaments into more than two bundles.
- Term
Epipetalous
- Meaning
Condition where stamens are attached to the petals.
- Term
Epiphyllous
- Meaning
Condition where stamens are attached to the tepals (petals and sepals are indistinguishable).
Learning objectives
Identify the components of the androecium.
Describe the structure and function of a stamen.
Differentiate between cohesion and adhesion in stamens.
Recognize different types of stamen fusion (monadelphous, diadelphous, polyadelphous, epipetalous, epiphyllous).
Prerequisites
Basic flower structure (whorls: calyx, corolla, androecium, gynoecium)
Cell division (meiosis)
Common mistakes
Confusing androecium with stamen.
Not understanding the difference between cohesion and adhesion of stamens.
Forgetting the role of the anther in pollen production.
Keywords
Androecium
Stamen
Filament
Anther
Pollen
Cohesion
Adhesion
Monadelphous
Diadelphous
Polyadelphous
Epipetalous
Epiphyllous
Microsporogenesis
Practice preview
Which of the following is an example of a flower exhibiting monadelphous stamens?…
medium
Which part of the stamen contains the pollen grains?…
easy
A stamen is attached to the petal in which type of adhesion?…
medium