pollinate
Help flowers reproduce
To pollinate is to transfer pollen from one flower to another, enabling fertilization and seed production.
Bees, butterflies, birds, and wind are common pollinators: Bees pollinate the apple blossoms each spring.
The word extends to any agent of fertilization or cross-fertilization in plants.
Figuratively, to pollinate can mean to spread ideas or influence: Her teaching pollinated a generation of artists.
Flower on fruit tree
- bloomFlower or flourishing state
- petalsColored bloom segments
- nectarFloral sugar water
- stamenPollen-producing flower organ
pistil · anther · stigma · ovule · flowering · floral · wildflowers · inflorescence
Stinging nectar gatherer
- bumblebeeLarge fuzzy stinging insect
- butterflyWinged insect from caterpillar
- mothNight-flying lepidopteran
- hoverflyStationary-flight bee mimic
wasp · beetle · ant · proboscis · antennae · foraging · nectar-feeding · entomology
Gamete fusion creating zygote
- gameteHaploid reproductive cell
- ovuleUnfertilized seed structure
- seedEmbryonic plant capsule
- fruitEdible plant ovary
germination · embryo · propagation · reproduction · genetics · hybridization · crossbreeding · fertile
Cultivated agricultural plants
- orchardFruit tree plantation
- yieldProduce or relinquish
- harvestGathering mature crops
- cultivationFostering growth through care
greenhouse · nursery · grower · horticulture · floriculture · almond · apple · squash
Range of life forms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- coevolutionReciprocal adaptation between interacting species
- mutualismTwo-way biological benefit
adaptation · native · endemic · habitat · conservation · decline · threatened · keystone
Small nectar-feeding hoverer
- sunbirdSmall iridescent nectar-feeder
- honeyeaterNectar-feeding Australasian bird
- lorikeetNectar-feeding parrot species
- honeycreeperNectar-drinking tropical bird
nectarivore · hovering · beak · feeder
To distribute widely
- carryMove while supporting
- transportMoving things between places
- transmitTo send onward
- disseminateSpread information widely
distribute · convey · disperse · wind-borne · vector · brush · dust · scatter
blossom
Flower on fruit tree
stamen · pistil · anther · stigma · ovule · flowering · floral · wildflowers · inflorescence · garden
bee
Stinging nectar gatherer
- bumblebeeLarge fuzzy stinging insect
- butterflyWinged insect from caterpillar
- mothNight-flying lepidopteran
hoverfly · wasp · beetle · ant · proboscis · antennae · foraging · nectar-feeding · entomology · arthropod
fertilization
Gamete fusion creating zygote
fruit · germination · embryo · propagation · reproduction · genetics · hybridization · crossbreeding · fertile · alleles
crop
Cultivated agricultural plants
cultivation · greenhouse · nursery · grower · horticulture · floriculture · almond · apple · squash · melon
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- coevolutionReciprocal adaptation between interacting species
mutualism · adaptation · native · endemic · habitat · conservation · decline · threatened · keystone · species
hummingbird
Small nectar-feeding hoverer
- sunbirdSmall iridescent nectar-feeder
- honeyeaterNectar-feeding Australasian bird
- lorikeetNectar-feeding parrot species
honeycreeper · nectarivore · hovering · beak · feeder
spread
To distribute widely
disseminate · distribute · convey · disperse · wind-borne · vector · brush · dust · scatter · deposit
- cross pollinationFertilization between different plants
- pollinator gardensHabitat for nectar-seekers
- bee pollinationInsects transferring flower pollen
- self pollinationFertilization within one flower
- native pollinatorsIndigenous pollen-transferring species
- pollinator decline
pollination, pollinator, pollinators, pollinated, pollinating, pollinates, pollinations, cross-pollination, cross-pollinate