Pollen: The Hidden Sexuality of Plants

This ground-breaking book is the result of the shared fascination of an artist and a scientist with the perfect design of pollen grains, organisms so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope. The grains are enclosed beyond the accessible beauty of the flower until the moment of release, when they are carried by wind, water or animal vectors to achieve their purpose, which is procreation.
Pollen is ubiquitous; in childhood we all learn a little about plant reproduction and the role of the bee but few of us are aware of the astonishing diversity of the structure of pollen grains, although these tiny, extraordinary forms have fascinated the scientifically curious since the seventeenth century.

Starting with a clear explanation of the structure and form of pollen, the authors go on to examine the remarkable events from pollination to fertilisation, and the many ways in which pollen impacts unseen on our lives. All of this is interwoven with a dazzling array of original images by the authors, created especially for the book. In this new edition many more original illustrations have been added and the text has been fully updated.

Pollen is a unique interpretation of a magical world that no other book on the subject has ever been able to achieve.

Contents: Explanatory Notes Foreword by Professor Sir Peter Crane The Art & Science of Pollen No Pollen – No Flowers; No Flowers – No Pollen Flower Structure Where is the pollen? Stamens and Pistils The Development & Function of Pollen The difference between pollen and spores Pollen Structure The pollen wall Pollen apertures Why does pollen have so many variations? Pollen size Pollenkitt Pollen: natural colours Artificial pollen colour Comparative Pollen Studies Pollen Morphology in Plant Systematics & Evolution Pollen Preparation for Comparative Pollen Morphology Sexual Plant Reproduction What are flowering plants? Asexual Reproduction How to Avoid Self-Fertilisation Self-incompatibility Heterostyly Heteromorphy Dichogamy Insects The honey bee Are honey bees the only insects that make honey for food? Animals Wind and water Co-adaptation Pollen as a Pollinator Attractant The Sex Act – A Seed is Born Picturing the Invisible Pixillated Pollen Hortus in Transit Postscript Appendices Glossary Bibliography Index of plants illustrated Acknowledgments