Question

How many stamens does a flower have?

Answer 1

The androecium consists of all the stamens of a flower, which generally occurs in one or two whorls. Stamens can be arranged in several other ways. Stamen is known as the male reproductive part of plants.

Complete answer:
The number of stamens in a flower is majorly a multiple of the number of perianth members present in a single whorl. For example, let us consider a flower has 5 sepals and 5 petals, then it might have either 5 stamens or 10 stamens. Stamens are therefore generally arranged symmetrically around the center of the flower, in alignment with the members of either one or both perianth whorls.

Additional information:
The number of the stamens is therefore the same as the number of petals. The presence of several stamens is common in many of the plant families (for example are Cactaceae and Rosaceae); while most orchids possess only one stamen. In plants with imperfect (or unisexual) flowers, the staminate flowers may borne individually, as happens in the most squash species, or can be arranged in a long clusters called as catkins, and is a characteristic of oaks and willows. While the anthers of most angiosperms release pollen through a rupture along one of the sides of the each sac, the anthers belonging to members of the family (Ericaceae) releases pollen through very small pores present at the anther tip. Some flowers produce sterile stamens, called staminodes, which may be showy (example- on the cannonball tree) or can be inconspicuous (example in Penstemon species).
Note: The number and arrangement of stamens, as well as the way by which the anthers release pollen, are the important taxonomic characteristics for many of the flowering plants. It depends on the species of the plant.