About Pollen
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Function
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Without pollen and pollination, which over 250,000 species of plants reproduce by, we would not have such delicious foods such as pears, peaches, strawberries, pumpkins, corn or even the mustard on our sandwiches. Pollen grains are very fine grains which are produced in the anther or male part of a flower and after arriving on a female flower part or stigma of a pistil, a pollen grain produces a pollen tube that contains two sperm cells and a tube cell. This pollen tube grows down through the pistil until it reaches the ovule. Pollen in other words is a highly important package delivered by an agent such as a bird or bee in the reproductive life of flowers.
Features
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Though pollen looks and feels like golden dust to the human eye and hand, each flower produces slightly different pollen grains with different shapes and markings. Each pollen grain consists of only two cells, the tube cell and the generative cell.
Effects
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For some people pollen is an allergen in which their bodies immune system has an over reactive response. Many people who have a reaction to pollen also have allergic reactions to other substances. In general, someone whose immune system goes into overdrive trying to rid their body of the pollen substance experiences sneezing, itchy eyes, nasal congestion, and sometimes a cough or even stomach ache. In the 20th century pollen forecasting became a popular way to warn people with bad allergies to take the precautions they need. Pollen forecasting is done on a scale of 0 to 12, 12 being the highest amount floating through the air. SDI which implements alerts on Pollen.com has been studying pollen counts for 25 years.
Benefits
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Bee pollen is often called "the perfect food" because of its highly nutritious properties when unprocessed; in fact it has more than 96 singular nutrients including 40 percent protein. When a bee is attracted by color and scent and lands on a flower it is interested in collecting the nectar from the flower for its own energy and health. When a bee is sucking up nectar its body collects pollen as it brushes against different parts of the flower. Pollen could brush onto its head, back or belly and periodically the bee brushes it from his head or back and collects it in his pollen basket. This is a special set of hairs on the hind legs. When the pollen basket is full the bee makes a trip back to the hive to store it.
The benefits of bee pollen have been known in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It contains all major antioxidants and has several trace elements. Bee pollen can be used to build up immunity to allergies, cope with stress, increase energy and boost the immune system in general. Many doctors suggest it as a daily supplement as it contains every known nutrient that is needed by the human body.
Types of Pollination
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Pollen travels from one flower to the next by means of pollination. In this process the pollen usually gets a little help. Sometimes flowers are pollinated by the wind or water and sometimes from bees, wasps, butterflies or moths, other insects, birds, bats or other animals. Self pollination is a less common method which sometimes occurs. In self-pollination the pollen grains are transferred from an anther to a stigma of the same flower or of another flower on the same plant. According to Joan Elma Rohn in her book "How Plants Are Pollinated" tomatoes and garden peas are plants in which self-pollination is common and produce abundant and healthy seeds without cross-pollinating.
Considerations
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If interested in observing the pollination process among a variety of flowering plant species Joan Elma Rohn suggests planting a small garden. "When plants are in bloom, try to observe pollination. Remove a few flowers to examine them more closely," she says. "Do you find the same flowers open at every visit, or are some flowers open only at certain times of day? Do you find the same insects at every visit or are some insects only abroad at certain times of day? Is there any connection between the two?"
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