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pollen tube
noun
: a tube that is formed by a pollen grain and conveys the sperm nuclei to the embryo sac of an angiosperm or the archegonium of a gymnosperm
Examples of pollen tube in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The pollen tube was used as a model system for a recent study on the effects of altered gravity on plant reproduction because a response in the pollen tube takes a matter of mere seconds.
—Perrin Ireland, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2013
How many readers could get excited by the fact that a single primrose plant can produce two kinds of flowers, virtually identical but one with a long style (the stalk that channels pollen tubes to the ovary) and one with a short style?
—David Quammen, The New York Review of Books, 8 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pollen tube.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near pollen tube
Cite this Entry
“Pollen tube.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollen%20tube. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
pollen tube
noun
: a tube that is formed by a pollen grain as it grows down the style and that carries the sperm nuclei to the embryo sac of a flower
More from Merriam-Webster on pollen tube
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pollen tube
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