Pollen Declares War!
Spring is in the ­Achoo!­air

For people who suffer from pollen allergies, spring is the worst time of year. But in parts of Texas it seems that spring never ends. One plant, the Ashe juniper doesn't know when to stop. As you know, spring is the time most plants begin their reproductive cycles and pollen fills the air. Most of us are familiar with the pattern of flower reproduction. But how do the plants, like pines, cypress, and junipers, plants with no flowers, make their cones and berries? As the old song goes, "The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind."

The gymnosperms rely solely on the wind to carry their pollen to waiting cones. The pollen is lightweight and shaped to float in air. Pine pollen even has two little air sacs that can help it float in the atmosphere for thousands of miles. Since this is an indirect and inefficient method of pollination, the gymnosperms make sure this process is successful by producing billions more pollen grains than they actually need. This is good for the plant, terrible for the allergy sufferer. For people who are allergic to plant pollen it is like being in a war zone where they are constantly under air attack from nasty pollen grains.