Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
pollinium

pollinium

9.9
A compact mass of pollen grains found in orchids and some other plants
  • noun
  • /pəˈlɪniəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polinio
  • The orchid releases its pollinium when an insect visits the flower.

Examples

  • Researchers studied how the pollinium attaches to visiting bees during pollination.

  • A single pollinium can contain thousands of pollen grains in a compact form.

  • The pollinium is crucial for the fertilization of orchids.

  • In many orchids, the pollinium is transferred by insects.

  • A single pollinium can contain thousands of pollen grains in a compact form.

  • The orchid releases its pollinium when an insect visits the flower.

  • In many orchids, the pollinium is transferred by insects.

Synonyms

pollinarium
vspollinium
  • Specialized
9.9

A part of some flowers that sticks to insects and carries pollen to make seeds

is the pollen mass itself rather than the containing transfer structure

Surface Forms

pollinium singular
pollinia plural

Morphology

pollinium = pollen (semi-transparent) = pollin + ium

Built from 'pollen' + the Latin-derived nominal suffix '-ium'; the general relation to pollen is clear but the precise technical sense ('a coherent mass of pollen') is specialized and may not be fully obvious to an average learner.

Etymology

The word pollinium comes from the Latin pollen, which means 'pollen' or 'dust' and is the same root as the everyday word pollen. That's why a pollinium is a compact packet of pollen grains often found in orchids, a small sticky ball that can stick to an insect and be carried to another flower.