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Types of Pollens

Pollen is a coarse powder, which comprises tiny pollen grains that come from seed plants and produce sperm cells. Pollen is the tool of reproduction in plants. The sperm seeds produced by the pollen grains fertilize the stamens of another plant to create a seed. Nearly all types of plants produce pollen. Pollen is transferred by insects, animals, wind, water, or by the plant itself. Pollen is notorious for causing allergies in people.

  1. Tree Pollen

    • Tree pollen is produced and released by birch, elm, maple, walnut and poplar trees. Trees use the benefits of wind pollination. Male versions of these trees produce pollen whereas female versions do not. Tree pollen begins its flight on the wind as early as January in the Southern United States and as early as May for Northern states. People with allergies to tree pollen suffer their symptoms for long stretches of time due trees releasing pollen so early. Tree pollen is the most common source of environmental allergies.

    Grass Pollen

    • Grass releases pollen and use wind to transport it. There are 1,200 species of grass that grow in the United States. Every species of grass pollinates, yet only a small percentage of pollen causes allergies. Bermuda grass, Kentucky bluegrass, Johnson grass, Timothy grass, sweet vernal grass and orchard grass are the culprits of causing allergies. Grass pollinates seasonally. Rain and decreased temperature lower the levels of grass pollination.

    Flowering Plant Pollen

    • Pollen of flowering plants utilizes nearly all methods of pollination, the most common being pollination by birds and insects. Most flowering plants have heavy, sticky pollen that are not windblown. Birds and insects are attracted to the bright colors of the plant's flowers and attempt to get the nectar inside the flower. As they try to get the nectar, the sticky pollen the flower produces attaches to the feathers of the bird or the hairs of legs of the insects. When the bird or the insect travels to another flower in search of nectar, the pollen is received by the new flower.

    Weed Pollen

    • Weeds produce pollen that is generally airborne. When the grass pollen season ends around midsummer, the weed pollination begins. Because it is airborne, weed pollen is a common source of allergies. The most prevalent allergen weed pollens are ragweed, aster, cattail, clover, dandelion, fireweed, mugwort, nettle, pigweed, California poppy, rabbit brush, sagebrush and Russian thistle. Of these, ragweed is by far the most menacing.

    Allergy Prevention

    • If you suffer from allergies caused by any of these pollens, you already know that spring, summer and early autumn are the worst times to be outside. However, there are ways to protect yourself. You can get all outdoor activities done before 5 p.m.--preferably in the morning--or after large rainfall. You can also close your windows at night so pollen does not get when you are trying to sleep.

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