Green Bean Pollen

Applause IconJun 09, 2025 • 2:06 PM UTC
Location IconUnited States
Applause Icon140x Magnification
Applause IconPlants
Holly Stuart (Foldscope Team)

Education Specialist at Foldscope Instruments

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Challenging to find (the flowers do not have large prominent anthers), but worth the effort to put under my Foldscope 2.0! The pink and curvy curly flowers of the green bean plant are beautiful to see.
I dissected the flower in an effort to find pollen grains. The anthers are very small and did not look like they held anything on them. Much to my surprise, when I put them under my Foldscope 2.0 at 140X plus 5X digital zoom on my phone, I was able to see many individual spherical pollen grains! These images also include a variety of lighting techniques.
I also increased the magnification to 340X plus 5X digital zoom to see if I could discern any more surface level details. I didn't notice anything of note, the individual grains appear to have a smooth surface. Again, I studied them with different lighting techniques.
There are many flowers blooming in my garden right now, so stay tuned for the next pollen installment!

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