Pollen Means Fine Flour
Pollen is the powder produced by flowers. The Latin word means fine flour or dust, describing exactly what it looks like.
Pollen is the fine powder produced by seed plants, carrying the male genetic material. The Latin word means fine flour or dust, which is what it resembles. Pollen grains are astonishingly durable: their outer walls survive for thousands of years in sediment, which makes pollen analysis one of the main tools for reconstructing past climates and vegetation.
- Plant reproductive powder. *Tree pollen.*
- Pollination — the transfer of pollen. *Insect pollination.*
- Hay fever — an allergic reaction to pollen. *Hay fever season.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pollen | Heavy pollen. |
| Verb | pollinate | Bees pollinate crops. |
| Noun | pollination | Cross-pollination. |
| Person | pollinator | A key pollinator. |
| Field | palynology | A palynology lab. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Pollen survives for millennia in sediment.Which makes it a climate record.
- Wind-pollinated plants cause most hay fever.Grasses and trees.
- Cross-pollination also means exchanging ideas.Figurative.
Pollen facts
- Sporopollenin — the extremely durable outer wall
- Palynology — the study of pollen, used in archaeology and forensics
- Wind pollination — produces vast quantities, and most allergens
- Insect pollination — produces less, but stickier and heavier grains
- Forensic use — pollen on clothing can indicate where someone has been
From Latin *pollen*, fine flour or dust, related to *pulvis*, dust, and to English *powder*.
Why does pollen survive so long?
Its outer wall is made of sporopollenin, one of the most chemically resistant organic materials known.
Which pollens cause hay fever?
Mostly wind-pollinated plants, especially grasses, birch and other trees, which release large quantities into the air.