Subject: staminode.taxo

From: [email-masked] (Joost Romeu)
Date: 23 Apr 1996 20:29:46 GMT

Harrington describes "Staminode" as 
"A sterile stamen, for example one lacking an anther or a structure
resembling one, and borne with the stamens."

Why does he explicitely say:     "lacking an anther      or       a
structure resembling one"

Does this simply mean:
"A sterile stamen. One lacking an anther."
or
"A sterile stamen. One lacking an anther but possibly displaying a
structure resembling an anther."

or does he mean: 
- ALL staminodes lack anthers and all staminodes lack structures
resembling anthers?
- SOME staminodes have a structure which one might mistake for an anther
despite the fact it doesn't resemble an anther?
- SOME staminodes have a anther but you wouldn't recognize it as such?

Are there any staminodes (i.e. fertile stamens) that display structures
resembling anthers?

Thanks

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From: [email-masked] (mel turner)
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 20:44:27

>Are there any staminodes (i.e. fertile stamens) that display structures

Possibly, but perhaps he meant instead: " a sterile stamen... or a structure 
resembling _a stamen_..."

Staminodia may  have various sorts of appendages & no doubt some have some 
sort of vestigial anthers, but I think the reading above is the most likely 
one even if not quite in line with the punctuation in the quoted sentence...