pollinium

American  

[puh-lin-ee-uhm] / pəˈlɪn i əm /

noun

Botany.

pollinia plural

1. an agglutinated mass or body of pollen grains, characteristic of plants of the orchid and milkweed families.

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pollinium British  

/ pəˈlɪnɪəm /

noun

1. a mass of cohering pollen grains, produced by plants such as orchids and transported as a whole during pollination

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pollinium Scientific  

/ pŏ-lĭn′ē-əm /

pollinia plural

1. A mass or packet of pollen grains specialized for transfer to other flowers as a unit by pollinating insects. Orchids and milkweeds produce pollinia.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• pollinia
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pollinium

1860–65; < New Latin, equivalent to pollin- (stem of pollen ) pollen + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

A pollinium, when highly developed, consists of a mass of pollen-grains, affixed to an elastic foot-stalk or caudicle, and this to a little mass of extremely viscid matter.

From The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition by Darwin, Charles

In this latter case we have a pollinium in its most highly developed and perfect condition.

From The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition by Darwin, Charles

Darwin demonstrated that in Orchis and other flowers the pedicel of the pollinium, after its removal from the anther, undergoes a curving movement.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)

If the pollinium was originally vertical, after a time it assumed a horizontal position.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)

In the latter position, if the insect visited another flower, the pollinium would exactly hit the sticky stigmatic surface and thus effect fertilisation.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)