Red Clover pollen (Trifolium pratense) Science Image

Ref: 80015562



Red Clover pollen. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of pollen grains of Red Clover, Trifolium pratense. The outer wall (exine) of each grain has a netted ornamentation, and there are grooves called germinal furrows. These pollen grains are wind dispersed. When a pollen grain, containing the male gametes, lands on the stigma of a flower, it germinates. A pollen tube grows out from the furrow, down through the stigma, to the ovary. The male nuclei pass down this tube, fertilize the ovules and seeds are formed. Magnification: x1,425 at 5x7cm size.