LGP 26 - Day 3 - Pollen Grain (Part 1)
Jun 11, 2026 • 12:33 PM UTC
India
140x Magnification
Plants
Saloni Buradkar
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Today, we stepped into the fascinating world of pollen as we explored various plant specimens.
The main aim of today's session was to debunk the myth that all pollen grains are yellow, round and big in size.
We started off by observing a red flower's pollen. We got the specimen from the flower beds in front of RH3, and we suspect that it's a Hibiscus.
To extract the pollen, we took a piece of clear tape and tapped it against the anther of the flower and stuck the tape onto our slide. This time we were introduced to a new challenge - we couldn't see the pollen grains on the tape, unlike how we could see the other samples we observed, so we had to be careful to not take too much pollen while still ensuring we collected a proper sample. Also, it is to be noted, that in the Hibiscus flower, the stamens are visible.
We started off by observing the grains through the 50x lens.
The main aim of today's session was to debunk the myth that all pollen grains are yellow, round and big in size.
We started off by observing a red flower's pollen. We got the specimen from the flower beds in front of RH3, and we suspect that it's a Hibiscus.
To extract the pollen, we took a piece of clear tape and tapped it against the anther of the flower and stuck the tape onto our slide. This time we were introduced to a new challenge - we couldn't see the pollen grains on the tape, unlike how we could see the other samples we observed, so we had to be careful to not take too much pollen while still ensuring we collected a proper sample. Also, it is to be noted, that in the Hibiscus flower, the stamens are visible.
We started off by observing the grains through the 50x lens.
The pollen grains were very circular and there were quite a few clusters. They were a very pure and bright, chirpy yellow and when there was a good light source, they seemed very translucent too. Few of them seemed to have darker yellow bits as well.
Next, we observed the sample using the 140x lens.
Next, we observed the sample using the 140x lens.
Here, individual cells could be seen and their contents too. The pigmentation of the pollen is more visible here too, as you can also observe slightly orange bits or even the whole cells. Few cells appeared to be "broken" too as they were perfectly circular. You could also observe rings within the pollen cells. You can also see the spikes of the pollen cells too, although it's quite faint.
We now observed the sample using the 340x lens.
We now observed the sample using the 340x lens.
The first picture here is definitely the best picture of an individual pollen cell that I got. Here you can see more orange pigmentation. You could even see "black stuff" within the cells. It was also quite exciting to see fluids moving around within the sample too ! And I absolutely loved the clarity of the cells using the 340x lens.
And my journey with pollen doesn't finish here.
To be continued...
And my journey with pollen doesn't finish here.
To be continued...
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