pollinia Definition

Pollinia are a group of connected pollen grains or spores that are found in orchids and certain other plants, and are adapted to transfer during the process of pollination. They are often referred to as pollinia, meaning 'little balls of pollen,' but these are single pollinia. In orchids, pollinia are attached to a thin thread-like structure called a stipe and are held in a caudicle and connected to the viscidium, which sticks to the stigma of the next flower visited by a pollinating insect.