anther, the pollen-bearing part of the stamen of a flower such as that of the vine. Each of the five anthers of the grape has sacs in which a large number of pollen mother cells develop into pollen grains, about two to three weeks before flowering. The small, dry grains of pollen are released, possibly before the calyptra or flower caps have fallen (see pollination). In deliberate vine breeding stamens and caps are removed early, before caps would normally fall, to prevent self-pollination and permit deliberate cross-pollination.
