Marigold Pollen Grain
by David McCarthy
Title
Marigold Pollen Grain
Artist
David McCarthy
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Marigold pollen grain. Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pollen grain from a marigold plant (family Compositae). Pollen grains display a great variation in their size, shape and surface texture. The outer wall (exine) is highly sculpted in many plants, as seen here, which may assist in dispersal. The characteristic surface of a plant's pollen grains is used by botanists to recognize and classify species. Each pollen grain contains a male gamete (reproductive cell) that is intended to fertilize an egg or ovule (female gamete), and initiate the formation of a seed for a new plant. Magnification x1000 at 6x7cm size.
Uploaded
December 2nd, 2014
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