Sexy Lily

Prominent parts make Lilium a great botanical study

All the flower parts on easily seen and studied!

Lilies are often prepped at the florist shop by removal of the stamens, or the anthers at the tips of the stamens. It's done because these "male" parts of  the flower will develop bright colored pollen in yellow, orange, brown or purple (below, orange) that can fall from arranged flowers or corsages to stain table linens and bridal dresses.

Above: At the center of the stamens, the single pistil or female part of a lily flower is also prominent. Its club shaped tip will become sticky as it matures, able to catch and hold pollen grains.

Below: The arrangement of the flower parts in an individual flower is what provides the basis of plant relationships -- which species form a family and genus. Here's a daylily (Hemerocallis) flower, a cousin of Lilium in the family Liliaceae. The stamens and pistil (reaching much further forward than the stamens) are arranged the same way.