365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, November 6, 2015
A Closer Look At Zygo
Day 24: Don't have houseplants because you're allergic to pollen? Zygocacti shouldn't be a problem. As you can see from the inset, their pollen grains are smooth and hairless, unlike those which cause many allergies. In fact, many plants' pollen grains look like weapons of warfare; lances, arrowheads, caltrops, maces, morning-stars. Zygocactus pollen looks more like dimpled oranges or slightly misshapen golf balls.
Yes, I couldn't resist taking a look through the microscope when I discovered that Picotee had a fully-open blossom this morning. Of the several colours of Zygo in my collection, she is almost always the first to open, and a showy thing she is for the dismal days of November. She is likely to be followed by Yellow, and like any parent, I don't want to say I have a favourite child, but those two are strong competitors. In any event, I will have a nearly continuous display of Zygos between now and early January, and with any luck at all, Hatiora will join the assembly. I wonder if Hattie's pollen will be a different shape?
Labels:
houseplants,
microscopy,
picotee,
pollen,
Zygocactus
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