1. a coherent mass of pollen grains that is transferred as a unit during pollination, especially in orchids and milkweeds
Usage: botanical

Examples

• The orchid’s pollinium attached to the bee’s back as it visited the flower.
• Each pollinium contains thousands of individual pollen grains held together by a waxy substance.
• The botanist carefully examined the pollinium under a microscope.
• Milkweeds produce pollinia that stick to insects’ legs during pollination.
• The structure of the pollinium varies significantly between different orchid species.
• When the pollinium is removed from one flower, it can fertilize another of the same species.