Pine Pollen Under the Microscope
Pine Pollen (Whole Mount), Pinus
This slide shows pine pollen grains stained with safranin and fast green. Pine pollen has two air sacs that help it float on the wind, giving it a well-known shape.
This is a whole mount of pine pollen (Pinus), stained red and green with safranin and fast green. The grains are scattered across the slide, and each one is a tiny male gametophyte made in a pine's small male cones. Pine pollen has a central body with two round air sacs on its sides, a shape often compared to Mickey Mouse. The air sacs make the grains light, so they float on the wind to reach female cones. Some grains here are tilted or slightly out of focus, so look across the slide for ones that lie flat and show both sacs.
What to look for
- Central body: The main part of the grain, which holds the living cells.
- Air sacs (sacci): Two rounded, balloon-like wings on either side of the body.
- Pollen wall: The tough outer layer, which puffs out to form the air sacs.
Questions and answers
Why does pine pollen look like Mickey Mouse?
Pine pollen has a central body with two round air sacs on its sides. From some angles, the sacs look like ears on a head, which is why it is often compared to Mickey Mouse.
What are the air sacs on pine pollen for?
The air sacs make pollen lighter and help it stay in the air longer. Pines are pollinated by the wind, so this helps pollen travel from male cones to female cones.
Compare it
- Category
- Botany & Plants
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Safranin / Fast Green
Viewing this slide in class
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