How to Tell If a Plant Is Pollinated

Bees are one example of a pollinator. The pollen attaches to the legs of the bees and is carried from the male to the female flowers.


Most flowering plants are hermaphroditic, with both male and female parts in one flower. Pollination in these plants involves the pollen moving from the stamen to the stigma inside each flower. The remainder of flowering plants have either male flowers, female flowers, or both. In this case pollen is moved from the male flower to the female flower. When the flowers are on the same plant, it is self-pollination. When they are on two different plants, it is cross-pollination. Pollination occurs naturally through pollinators such as wind, insects or animals. When pollination is successful, fruit is formed.


Examine the flowers to determine the sex of the flowers. On hermaphroditic plants, there will be a center pistil topped with a stigma. Several stamen will surround the stigma. Each stamen will have pollen at the tip. For monoecious and dioecious plants, the male flower is on a thin stem. The female flower is on a thicker stem with a bulge underneath the flower where the fruit will form if pollination occurs.


Watch the female flowers. When the flower is pollinated, the petals will close up and the flower will wilt. This signals that pollen has been deposited. The closed flower no longer attracts pollinators. The wilting occurs within 24 hours of pollination.


Check the wilted and dropped flowers for signs of growth. If pollination was successful, the bulge beneath the head of the flower will begin to grow larger. Check each day. If the bulge shows no signs of growth after a week, pollination was most likely unsuccessful. If growth occurs, eventually it will form into a fruit.


Hand-pollinate flowers to increase the odds of a successful pollination. Use a toothpick, tweezers, or another small instrument to scrape pollen from a male flower or from the stamen of a hermaphroditic flower. Transfer the pollen to a female flower or stigma by rubbing the scraped pollen onto the pistil and stigma of the flower.

Things You Will Need

  • Toothpicks

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