The male flower has a single central stamen with a yellow anther. The globose white stigma of the pistil extends beyond the tip of the anther. The androecium has two stamens and three staminodes, anther dehiscence is explosive. The anther and pistil were shorter in the rmd-1 mutants than the wild-type. The anther produces pollen grains which contain the male gametophytes that produce sperm nuclei. The anther sacs open into longitudinal slits to release their pollen. Pollen is typically highly desiccated when it leaves an anther. Pollination is defined as the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma. The stomium is the region of the anther where dehiscence occurs. True endomitosis in the anther tapetum of the liliaceous plant Eremurus is described. Cross-pollination is a necessity because the anther is absent in most functionally female flowers. Pollen is also produced by meiosis in the male anther (microsporangium). The pollen is eventually released when the anther forms openings (dehisces). As the flower develops, four groups of sporogenous cells form within the anther. The anther usually consists of two fused thecae.