About Cross Pollinating Flowers
Flowers spread across gardens, states and countries through pollination. Cross-pollination, rather than self-pollination, in a flower refers to the transfer of pollen from the male reproductive organ of a male flower -- an anther or cone -- to the female reproductive organ -- a stigma or a female cone -- of another flower. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Main Pollinators
-
Wind, bees and other insects are the main transporters for cross-pollination. Hummingbirds, moths and bats are other pollinating agents. Bees, for example, carry clumps of yellow pollen in their fur from a male plant and nuzzle the pollen into a female sex organ.
Wind-Pollinated Flowers
-
Wind-pollinated flowers, like the flowers of the black walnut tree or the sugar maple, have less floral parts as they are adapted to wind pollination. These cross-pollinated flowers are recognizable because they are only green and lack odor or nectar.
-
Insect-Pollinated Flowers
-
Insect-pollinated flowers, like the blue iris or the northern catalpa, have yellow nectar guides, such as black dots, that lead the insect into the flower organ. These flowers usually have an ornate sex organ structure, like the orchid, strong coloring, scent and nectar.
Hummingbird vs Moth Pollinated Flowers
-
Hummingbird cross-pollinated flowers are often bright red, a color that birds, and not insects, see more clearly. Moth-pollinated flowers are often large, white and fragrant, such as the Adam's needle, a yucca flower species.
Honey Bees and Pollination
-
Honey bees are particularly important flower pollinators, according to the University of Arizona Agriculture Department. Unlike other pollinators, such as bats and hummingbirds, honey bees seek flowers with pollen, not just nectar, which they need to make honey. Bees store the pollen that remains on their fur as a source of protein for developing larvae.
Germination and Diversity Fact
-
Flowers will experience more genetic diversity and germination if there are all male flowers on one plant and all female flowers on another plant.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit crocus first flower spring flower image by Pali A from Fotolia.com
