#anther
- Alternanthera — A major genus of herbaceous plants or shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae, primarily native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas; it comprises numerous terrestrial and aquatic species, highly valued in horticulture and aquascaping for their spectacular, vividly colored decorative foliage in shades of red, purple, pink, or yellow.
- Alternanthera amoena — A popular species of dwarf ornamental plant within the genus Alternanthera, native to Brazil; it is widely used in ornamental carpet bedding and mosaic gardening for low vegetation mats due to its small, lanceolate, multicolored leaves (blotched with intense shades of green, copper, carmine, red, and yellow).
- Alternanthera bettzickiana — A species of perennial herbaceous plant in the family Amaranthaceae, native to South America; it is widely used in global ornamental horticulture due to its dense foliage, variegated or blotched in spectacular shades of red, purple, yellow, and cream, making it ideal for low borders and landscape mosaics.
- Alternanthera versicolor — A species or horticultural variety of ornamental plant within the genus Alternanthera, remarkable for its intensely colored leaves that change shades depending on light exposure and age, displaying a spectacular mix of green, pink, carmine, copper, and blood-red.
- Anther — The upper, terminal, and thickened part of the stamen, having a sac-like structure (usually consisting of two thecae), inside of which pollen grains are formed and housed. As an essential structural organ in the reproduction of angiosperm plants, it opens at maturity through dehiscence to release the pollen necessary for the pollination and fertilization process of flowers.
- Anther — The terminal, swollen, and fertile part of a flower stamen, structurally composed of pollen sacs (usually four, grouped into two thecae) inside of which pollen grains develop. At maturity, this structural organ opens via longitudinal slits or pores (dehiscence), releasing the pollen essential for the pollination and perpetuation of spermatophyte plant species.
- Antheridium — A male reproductive organ, having a simple or complex cellular structure, characteristic of lower plants (algae, mosses, ferns) and certain fungi species, inside of which mobile male gametes (antherozoids or plant spermatozoa) are formed. This structural element is indispensable for sexual reproduction, releasing mature spermatic cells that swim through an aquatic medium to fertilize the oosphere within the archegonium.
- Antheridium — A masculinized grammatical form or secondary lexical variant for the term 'antheridium', sometimes used in archaic scientific literature or direct translations to denote the male reproductive organ of cryptogamic plants. This structural element fulfills the biological role of a gametangium in which ciliated or flagellated mobile male gametes differentiate, necessary for the fertilization process in an aquatic medium.
- Antheridiophore — A specialized structural formation, having the appearance of a stalk, branch, or erect support, which bears the antheridia (male reproductive organs) in some lower avascular plants, such as liverworts of the order Marchantiales. This structural support serves the ecological role of elevating the male organs above the thallus, facilitating the efficient dispersal of plant spermatozoa via raindrops or dew.
- Antherophilia — Biological phenomenon or evolutionary adaptation whereby certain species of pollinating insects exhibit a selective attraction or exclusive preference for flower anthers, feeding directly on pollen before its dispersal. In behavioral ecology, this specialized interaction defines a stage of close coevolution between floral morphology and the vector's mouthparts.
- Antherophore — Internal elongation or axis of the floral receptacle that supports the stamen or anther, elevating it above the normal level of the corolla to optimize wind pollination or insect access. Structurally, it represents an internal modification of the upper internode between petals and male organs.
- Antherozoid — A mobile, flagellated male reproductive cell produced within the antheridium of lower plants, such as mosses, ferns, and certain algae. This gametic cell utilizes its structural flagella to swim through an external aquatic medium toward the oosphere, facilitating the biological fertilization process.
- Anthericum — A genus of perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae (subfamily Agavoideae), characterized by linear leaves in a basal rosette and star-shaped white flowers arranged in long racemes or panicles.
- Anthericum liliago — The scientific name for St. Bernard's lily, a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asparagaceae. Characterized by long, narrow linear leaves and an unbranched raceme inflorescence with large, star-shaped white flowers, it is adapted to calcareous soils and sunny slopes across Europe.
- Anthericum ramosum — The scientific name for branched lily-asphodel, a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is distinguished by its highly branched, paniculate flower stalk and star-shaped white flowers that are slightly smaller than those of Anthericum liliago.
- Asteranthera — A monotypic genus of perennial, creeping or climbing (epiphytic) plants in the Gesneriaceae family, uniquely represented by the species Asteranthera ovata; it is native to the temperate rainforests of southern Chile and neighboring regions of Argentina, recognized by large, spectacular tubular bright red flowers with white interior striping, adapted for hummingbird pollination.