= Anthesis
<Anthesis> is the opening of a <flower>, or the interval during which it is open and functional. It is a developmental stage within <flowering>, which also includes the earlier transition to making <flowers>. A <flower bud> can therefore be present before <anthesis>.<Glossary of Botanical Terms by PlantNET>[A entries, anthesis: opening of a flower]{ref}
The distinction is useful in an experiment: comparing two <flowers> three days after <anthesis> aligns their development more closely than comparing them three days after their parent <plants> were moved to a greenhouse. Opening does not by itself establish that <pollination> or <fertilization> has occurred. Those are separate events whose timing must be observed.
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