Creating a Seed

What am I looking at?

This is a single pollen grain (1) attached to the stigma (2) atop the central stalk of a morning glory flower, a member of the Convolvulaceae family.

Click on the right arrow to see more pollen grains in the process of germinating. In the final image, you can see a pollen tube growing down the style toward the ovary, which is located at the base of the pistil.

Biology in the background

Morning glories are flowering plants that can grow in temperate, tropical, and even desert environments around the globe. As their name suggests, they flower early in the morning (or late at night). They are a very popular plant for gardeners because they grow quickly, have many flowers, and can tolerate hot and dry conditions.

The bright colors and nectar of the flowers attract a wide range of pollinators, including insects, hummingbirds, and other small flying animals. The pollen from the flowers attaches itself to these animals and travels with them to the next flower they visit. Some of the pollen rubs off on that flower while the animal is feeding, and if it attaches to that flower’s stigma it can fertilize the ovules inside, leading to the production of seeds.

A morning glory pollen grain averages about 80 micrometers across, or roughly the same width as a human hair.

Technique

These images were created using confocal microscopy.