Many of us are familiar with the soft grey silky catkins of pussy willow or the long hanging catkins known as ‘lamb’s tails’ that appear on Hazel trees. A catkin is a structure consisting of many extremely small flowers in which petals and sepals are usually absent. These structures are necessary to insect-pollinated flowers, since they help to attract insects, but are mostly wind-pollinated.
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Nature Fact
Willow Catkins
Many of us are familiar with the soft grey silky catkins of pussy willow or the long hanging catkins known as ‘lamb’s tails’ that appear on Hazel trees. A catkin is a structure consisting of many extremely small flowers in which petals and sepals are usually absent. These structures are necessary to insect-pollinated flowers, since they help to attract insects, but are mostly wind-pollinated.
Many of us are familiar with the soft grey silky catkins of pussy willow or the long hanging catkins known as ‘lamb’s tails’ that appear on Hazel trees. A catkin is a structure consisting of many extremely small flowers in which petals and sepals are usually absent. These structures are necessary to insect-pollinated flowers, since they help to attract insects, but are mostly wind-pollinated.
