tinusbum wrote:
and violet seeds
The "pollen", in this instance, may possibly be the sporophyte Mark mentions.
Ferns reproduce by spores, so no pollen. Seedless, so pollenless.
Putting some of these on moist ground peat moss in a lidded food storage container may produce the plant. Open twice daily for a minute to vent.
Orchids reproduce similarly, another 'ancient' group of plants.
Pollen, by the way, is for the most part microscopic in the individual grains. Mostly yellow if pine pollen on your car.
Bill
The plant that grows from these spores looks nothing like a fern. Its like a single small leaf stuck on the moist ground. Have not seen them outside of the teaching lab.
Tinusbum, your Photo #2 is an interesting photo and I like both the subject and the composition. This is a prime example of how my Panasonic TZ100 compact would have been useful by employing its "Post Focus" to bring into focus the forward pod along with the rest of the pods in the photo.
Post focus is explained:
https://blog.parkcameras.com/2017/01/post-focus-explained-understanding.html
How interesting to see the spores close up, I also love the Violet seeds - nice to see something unusual in our group.
Wow, I really like the second image for it is not only expertly taken, it is quite artistically pleasing.
The larger round structures are the sporangia - the structures within which the spores form. You can see the annulus on the sporangia - a row of thick-walled cells which aid in the dispersal of the spores following dehiscence (breaking) of the sporangia. The smaller dots are the spores. which grow into the small heart-shaped gametophyte generation, where sexual reproduction take place.
Great pictures!
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