Wind Pollination

Introduction

Many different types of flowers are pollinated without the need of animals (such as insect, bird, or mammal). Few of them are pollinated by the currents of wind or water, here wind and water acts as a vectors. These flowers do not usually attract animal pollinators.

Wind Pollination

Wind pollinator flowers are generally small, without petals, and no special colors, odours, or nectar. These plants produces variety number of small pollen grains. It is mainly due to this reason, wind-pollinated plants might be allergens, but rarely are animal-pollinated plants allergenic. Their stigmas are usually large and feathery that functions to hold the pollen grains. Insects might visit them to collect pollen, but generally are ineffective pollinators and possess a little natural selection on the flowers. Anemophilous, or wind pollinated flowers, are mainly small and inconspicuous, and do not possess a scent or produce nectar. The anthers results in the formation of a large number of pollen grains, whereas the stamens are basically long and these comes out of the flower. There are also few examples of ambophilous ( that is pollinated by two different classes of pollinators) flowers that are both wind and insect pollinated.

Majority of the conifers and approximately 12% of the world’s flowering plants are all wind-pollinated. Wind pollinated plants involves grasses and their cultivated forms, the cereal crops, varieties of trees, the infamous allergenic ragweeds, and others. Each of these produces a millions of pollen grains into the air so that some lucky among them will be able to hit their targets.

Features of a Wind Pollinated Plant

Wind pollinated plants possess the following features:

• They do not possess any bright colors, special odours, or nectar

• They are mainly smaller in size

• Majority of the plants do mot possess any petals

• Stamens and stigmas remains exposed to air currents

• Carries large amounts of pollen in them

• Pollen are characterized by having smooth and light appearance, they are easily airborne

• Stigma remains feathery pollen from wind

• Might possess staminate and pistillate flowers, or may be monoecious or dioecious

• These plants usually have single-seeded fruits, like those of oak, grass, birch, poplar, hazel, dock, cat-tail, plantain, and papyrus

Examples of Wind Pollinated Flowers

Some examples of wind pollinated flowers are:

• Most of the world’s very important crop plants are wind-pollinated. It involves wheat, rice, corn, rye, barley, and oats

• Nut producing trees like those of walnuts, pecans and pistachios are suited for wind-pollinated as well

• Various economically important trees are also pollinated by wind as seen in pines, spruces, firs and many other hardwood trees

Conclusion

Wind pollination have commonly evolved in order to provide a reproductive assurance when the pollinators are scarce. Evidence shows that pollen limitation in wind-pollinated plants might not be as common as it is in animal-pollinated species. The studies about pollen capture in wind-pollinated herbs displays that pollen transfer ability is not  lower than in animal-pollinated plants as it is usually assumed. Inflorescence and floral architecture are important to pollination and mating due to the aerodynamics of wind pollination. Here we come to an end of this topic, hope you were able to grasp a clear concept of the topic wind pollination, features of wind pollinated flowers and examples of wind pollination.