Is aroma the same thing as pollen on any level?

Question

Is aroma the same thing as pollen on any level?

Answer 1

Typically no, it's not the pollen that gives off aroma. Instead, it's the nectar or the petals that contain aromatic compounds.

For more, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume#Pla...

Added: You got me curious, so I did a bit more digging. It turns out that at least some plant species do have aromatic pollen. Pollination biologists have largely ignored the role of odor in attracting pollinators in general, Dr. Raguso argues in the article below, so aromatic pollen may be more prevalent than it appears at present. I include a link to that review article, and to abstracts of two other papers.

Raguso article: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf...

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bs...

http://www.springerlink.com/content/wg1p...