Wind-pollinated flower - Fuubai-ka

This refers to flowers that are pollinated when pollen is carried to the stigma of the pistil by the force of the wind. The flowers are not beautiful, and they do not secrete any fragrance or nectar. The pollen is not sticky, but is produced in large quantities, is small, light and easily scattered. It is said that this allows the pistil to be pollinated more than several hundred meters away. However, in dry climates, wind-pollinated flowers can cause hay fever. Wind-pollinated flowers have a structure suitable for pollination, such as the complex protrusions on the outside of the pollen of the Asteraceae family and the feather-like stigma of the pistil of the Gramineae family. In marshlands, past pollen is found in chronological order in the peat layer, so past weather and vegetation can be learned from pollen analysis. Wind-pollinated flowers are considered to be more primitive than insect-pollinated flowers.

[Seiichi Yoshida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

花粉が風の力で雌しべの柱頭に運ばれて受粉する花をいう。花は美しくなく、芳香や蜜(みつ)の分泌もない。花粉は粘性がないが多数つくられ、小形で軽く飛散しやすい。このため数百メートル以上離れた雌しべに受粉することができるといわれる。しかし乾燥気候の地方では、風媒花が花粉症の原因となる。キク科の花粉は外部に複雑な突起があり、イネ科の雌しべの柱頭は羽毛状になるなど、風媒花は受粉に適した構造をもっている。湿原地帯では過去の花粉が泥炭層中に年代順に存在するため、花粉分析によって過去の気象や植生を知ることができる。風媒花は虫媒花より原始的な形と考えられている。

［吉田精一］

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