Question

How does grass pollinate?

Answer 1

Hint: The pollen of the grasses are such that it can travel easily without any hindrance by the windblown and should not possess features that attract insects but should be in a way that it can be easily blown. Their flowering structures are either absent or small.

Complete answer:
Pollination is the process of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the feminine stigma. Pollination is of two types: self-pollination and cross-pollination. When the pollen from the anther of same plant or same flower is transferred to the stigma of the same flower of same plant then it is called self-pollination while on the other hand, when pollen from the anther of one plant is transferred to the stigma of another flower is called cross-pollination. Self-pollination occurs in flowers where both parts i.e stamen and carpel mature at an equivalent time, and are positioned so that the pollen can land on the flower’s stigma. Here the plants do not need to provide their nectar to the pollinators in return of pollination.
The pollination in the case of grasses is wind pollination and may also undergo self pollination. They do not have any flowering structures or they are very small in size. They have large anthers which eventually stick on the body of pollinators when they sit on them which are then stuck and captured by the stigma of the female part of the flower resulting in pollination. The type of pollination in which the pollen grains from the anther is transferred to the stigma of the flower via wind is called anemophily.
Characteristics of wind-pollinated flowers are:-
-The number of pollens produced are large as they may be lost due to wind in the air.
-Pollens are lighter in weight thus helping them in their movement by air.
-The stigma of the flower is feathery and sticky so that the pollen grain can be easily trapped by it.
-In these flowers nectar is not produced and the colors of the flowers are also very bright.

Note:
The flowers that undergo wind pollination usually bloom in the season of early spring. The flower blooms before leaves so that the production of leaves do not produce hindrance in their movement. The feathery stigma holds the pollen and is exposed to the flower for pollination.