Column (botany) the Orchidaceae family, unlike almost all other flowering plants, the single male anther at the tip of the "column" produces pollen that is not free and powdery but held in waxy masses of two, four or six pellets called pollinia. The transfer of "pollinia" from one flower to another, though highly efficient, is often reliant upon one particular species of arthropods and it can be catastrophic for the population if its pollinator disappears from the community. Column (botany) The column, or technically the gynostemium, is a reproductive structure that can be found in several plant families: Aristolochiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Stylidiaceae.
Diaspore (botany) Diaspore (botany) In botany, a diaspore is a plant dispersal unit consisting of a seed or spore plus any additional tissues that assist dispersal. In some seed plants, the diaspore is a seed and fruit together, or a seed and elaiosome. In a few seed plants, the diaspore is most or all of the plant, and is known as a tumbleweed. Diaspores are common in weedy and ruderal species. Collectively, diaspores, seeds, and spores that have been modified for migration are known as "disseminules". A diaspore of seed plus elaiosome is a common adaptation to seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory).