Marsh mallow pollen. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) pollen grain caught in the plant's epidermal

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Marsh mallow pollen. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) pollen grain caught in the plant's epidermal hairs. The grain has a spiked outer wall (exine), which may assist in its dispersal by improving its adherence to pollinating insects. Each pollen grain contains a male gamete (reproductive cell) that is intended to fertilise an egg or ovule (female gamete), and initiate the formation of a seed for a new plant. Magnification: x900 when printed at 10 centimetres tall.

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Size: 3555px × 4977px
Photo credit: © STEFAN DILLER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: althaea, biological, biology, botanical, botany, coloured, epidermal, exine, false-coloured, fertilisation, fertilise, gamete, grain, grains, hair, hairs, mallow, marsh, nature, officinalis, outer, plant, plants, pollen, pollination, reproduction, reproductive, sem, spike, spiked, spikes, spiky, wall