pollinium

[ puh-lin-ee-uh m ]
/ pəˈlɪn i əm /

noun, plural pol·lin·i·a [puh-lin-ee-uh] /pəˈlɪn i ə/. Botany.

an agglutinated mass or body of pollen grains, characteristic of plants of the orchid and milkweed families.

Origin of pollinium

1860–65; < New Latin, equivalent to pollin- (stem of pollen) pollen + -ium -ium

Words nearby pollinium

polling booth, polling place, polling station, pollini-, polliniferous, pollinium, pollinize, pollinosis, polliwog, pollo, pollock

Example sentences from the Web for pollinium

  • In this latter case we have a pollinium in its most highly developed and perfect condition.

    On the Origin of Species |Charles Darwin

  • If the pollinium was originally vertical, after a time it assumed a horizontal position.

    Darwin and Modern Science |A.C. Seward and Others

  • Pollinium of an Orchis (Habenaria), with its stalk attached to a sticky gland; magnified.

    The Elements of Botany |Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for pollinium

pollinium
/ (pəˈlɪnɪəm) /

noun plural -ia (-ɪə)

a mass of cohering pollen grains, produced by plants such as orchids and transported as a whole during pollination

Word Origin for pollinium

C19: New Latin; see pollen

Scientific definitions for pollinium

pollinium
[ pŏ-lĭn′ē-əm ]

Plural pollinia

A mass or packet of pollen grains specialized for transfer to other flowers as a unit by pollinating insects. Orchids and milkweeds produce pollinia.