The lily family Liliaceae is comprised of more than 250 genera and about 4,000 species of mostly herbaceous flowering plants, but the name lily is most frequently applied to the 80 - 100 species belonging to the genus Lilium. The most popular lilies, prized as ornamentals, are fragrant and grow showy flowers that have petals usually flecked with dark specks.

Anthers are the male reproductive structures of flowering plants that produce pollen. Each anther is deeply bilobed, and each lobe contains two structures called microsporangia. At the center of each microsporangium are numerous mother pollen cells that, after undergoing meiosis, form microspores (pollen grains). Nutrients are provided to a developing cell by the columnar tapetum cells that surround each microsporangium. During the late prophase stage, the tapetum cells are usually microscopically visible. Upon maturing, the pollen grains are released by the anther and made available for transport to a female reproductive organ called the stigma.

The lily, with its definitive reproductive stages, is a favored specimen in microscopy for illustrating normal cell division. Of special interest are cross sections illustrating the anthers at different stages of development, enabling the observer to follow the evolution of microspore mother cells into mature pollen grains.