pollinium
Sign in to saveA pollinium (: pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in orchids, which have a complex pollination system, and many species of milkweeds (Asclepiadoideae). Usage of the term differs: in some orchids two masses of pollen are well attached to one another, but in other orchids there are two halves (with two separate viscidia) each of which is sometimes referred to as a pollinium.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Pollinia Phalaenopsis (1).jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Pollinium (Orchidaceae)
- Commons gallery
- Pollinium (Orchidaceae)
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~3 min read
Article
1 sectionsContents
- References
A pollinium (: pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in orchids, which have a complex pollination system, and many species of milkweeds (Asclepiadoideae). Usage of the term differs: in some orchids two masses of pollen are well attached to one another, but in other orchids there are two halves (with two separate viscidia) each of which is sometimes referred to as a pollinium.
Most orchids have waxy pollinia. These are connected to one or two elongate stipes, which in turn are attached to a sticky viscidium, a disc-shaped structure that sticks to a visiting insect.