STRUCTURE OF FLOWERS. 57 



In this sense there is never an indefinite number of 

 stamens, to speak truly ; but the greater the number is, 

 the more chances are there of accidental abortions or 

 multiplications, and the more it is neglected to count 

 them exactly : it is usually said that the number is 

 indefinite when it exceeds twenty. 



Each stamen is composed of a filament and an anther. 



The Filament (filamentum) is a body which springs 

 from the torus ; and its form is sometimes cylindrical, or 

 subulate and very long; sometimes compressed; more 

 rarely expanded towards the apex into a kind of scale 

 or cap, as in Borago laxijlora. In texture it is very 

 analogous to petals, especially to their claws. It is 

 coloured as they are ; bears the same kinds of hairs and 

 glands; is devoid of stomata and tracheae, &c. Their 

 length seems only to be determined by the necessity of 

 supporting the anther at a sufficient height for it to be 

 placed in a favourable position with regard to the stigma. 

 Thus, in the greatest number of cases, the filament is of 

 the necessary length for the anther to be nearly of the 

 height of the stigma, or a little above it ; but frequently 

 in drooping flowers, the filament is shorter, and the 

 anther is found above the stigma. This law is often 

 modified by the torsion or peculiar movements of certain 

 flowers. The filament, as it only serves for the support 

 of the anther, may be, then, either very long or very 

 short ; in this last case, it is sometimes so short that it 

 is said to be completely wanting. When it is articulated 

 at its base with the torus, the stamen detaches itself and 

 falls off after fecundation ; when it is not articulated, as 

 in Campanula, it perishes and dries up without falling. 



The Anther (anthera) is a kind of purse borne by 

 the filament, containing a powder which is called the 

 Pollen. As the pollen itself contains the fecundating 

 matter, and is consequently the essential part of the 



