stamen

Definitions

  • WordNet 3.6
    • n stamen the male reproductive organ of a flower
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
  • Interesting fact: Saffron, made from the dried stamens of cultivated crocus flowers, is the most expensive cooking spice.
    • Stamen A thread; especially, a warp thread.
    • Stamen (Bot) The male organ of flowers for secreting and furnishing the pollen or fecundating dust. It consists of the anther and filament.
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
    • n stamen The warp in the ancient upright loom at which the weaver stood upright instead of sitting; a thread of the warp; a thread.
    • n stamen plural The supports or mainstays of a body; the fixed, firm part of a body, which supports it or gives it its strength and solidity: as, the bones are the stamina of animal bodies; the ligneous parts of trees are stamina which constitute their strength.
    • n stamen Hence [Pl. stamina, now sometimes used as sing.] Whatever constitutes the principal strength or support of anything; power of endurance; staying power; lasting strength or vigor.
    • n stamen In botany, the male or fertilizing organ of flowering plants. It is situated immediately within the inner circle of floral envelops, or petals when they are present, and consists of two parts, the filament, which is the stalk or support, and the anther, which is a double sac or body of two cells placed side by side and filled with a powdery substance, the pollen. This pollen, when mature, is discharged from the anther through various openings or pores. Theoretically the stamen is the homologue of a leaf, in which the two cells of the anther represent the infolded halves of the blade, while the connective represents the midrib and the filament the petiole of the leaf. The pollen represents the parenchyma of the leaf. The stamens of a flower are collectively called the andrœcium. When both stamens and pistils are present in the same flower it is said to be hermaphrodite or perfect; when only stamens are present the flower is said to be staminate or male. The number of stamens varies in different plants from one to one hundred or more, but is generally constant for the same species, and forms an important element in the system of classification. The classes in the Linnean sexual system were based upon the number and position of the stamens; and in the natural system they are still an important factor. In regard to their insertion, stamens may be hypogynous, epigynous, or perigynous, or the flower may be gynandrous (see these words). See also cuts under anther, anthophore, diadelphous, epigynous, extrorse, introrse. and many plant-names.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
    • n Stamen stā′men one of the male organs of a flower which produce the pollen
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Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
L. stamen, the warp, a thread, fiber, akin to Gr. sth`mwn the warp, fr. 'ista`nai to stand, akin to E. stand,. See Stand, and cf. Stamin Stamina
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
L. stamen (pl. stamina)—stāre, to stand.

Usage

In literature:

Why the notches of a fern leaf or the stamen of a water lily?
"The Wedding Ring" by T. De Witt Talmage
In some grasses the stamens mature earlier, (=protandry=) while in others the stigmas protrude long before the stamens (=protogyny=).
"A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses" by Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
Each stamen supported a tiny figure carved out of ivory, holding a musical instrument.
"Mizora: A Prophecy" by Mary E. Bradley
Diagram of one of the two stamens.
"More Science From an Easy Chair" by Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) Lankester
Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden.
"Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen" by Hans Christian Andersen
The obvious fitness of knots to represent the stamens of flowers is exemplified in Illustration 93.
"Art in Needlework" by Lewis F. Day
The stamens, however, have undergone a remarkable modification.
"The Beauties of Nature" by Sir John Lubbock
That has an ovary, and every male plant has a stamen, and I think you said that they must have, didn't you?
"Every Girl's Book" by George F. Butler
The length of stamens is a fairly safe indication of self-fertility.
"Manual of American Grape-Growing" by U. P. Hedrick
The stamens of most flowers are numerous and conspicuous.
"Under the Maples" by John Burroughs
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In poetry:

Seeing the yellow-brown nipa with their stamens half erect, eating the kankali
flowers whose first buds have appeared on every bank, and smelling the
highly fragrant scent of the forest earth, the deer will indicate the way to the
cloud.
"The Cloud Messenger - Part 01" by Kalidasa

In news:

Saffron crocus is valued for its bright red stamens uses for spice.
ocregister.com
This great cut-leaf Japanese peony, Paeonia tenuifolia, opened its simple ruby-colored petals to reveal bright yellow stamen.
cynthianademocrat.com
Saffron crocus is valued for its bright red stamens uses for spice.
ocregister.com
Stamen 's Big Idea: Blankets Made From Open-Source Maps of the World.
theatlantic.com
"Encalmo Stamen" handmade glass ceiling light by Niche Modern 10w.
interiordesign.net
Its elegant plumes of fluffy whitish-cream or buff flowers, composed of stamens that soon drop, may reach 1 foot long.
bhg.com
In collaboration with Manhattan gallery Jen Bekman's 20x200 project, San Francisco studio Stamen Design is bringing back the craft and artistry of map-making.
dwell.com
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In science:

Stamen, these proceedings and references therein A.
The Diffractive Interactions Working Group Summary
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Related words