| Pollen: |
a mass of male gametophytes generating
microspores. Usually powder-like. In Orchidaceae, pollens are packed and dispersed as
pollinium. Formation of pollen enables the seed-bearing plants
to bypass the need of water for fertilization. |
| Pollination: |
transfer of pollen from the
anther to the ovule. Flowers are usually pollinated
by pollen vectors (wind or animals). The features of a flower are usually adapted to its vector,
so one can make predictions of the vector type of according to the characteristics of a flower. |
| Cross-pollination: |
pollination of flowers from different plants.
It is preferable for flowering plants since it encourages the random mixing of genes within the same species. There are many ways that plants
have evolved to encourage cross-pollination. |
