Chicory Pollen Grain #1
by Steve Gschmeissner
Title
Chicory Pollen Grain #1
Artist
Steve Gschmeissner
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Chicory pollen grain. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pollen grain from a common chicory (Cichorium intybus) flower. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive. Pollen grains are the male sex cells of a flowering plant. Their characteristic surface is used by botanists to recognise and classify plants. Pollen in plants is used for transferring male genetic material from the anther of a single flower to the stigma of another in cross-pollination. In a case of self-pollination, this process takes place from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same flower. Magnification: x 1500 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.
Uploaded
July 21st, 2016
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