Plants That Produce White Pollen

Pollen, a substance that is required for the fertilization of plants, is most often pictured as a yellowish dust. This is partly because many coniferous tree pollens (and those that most often cause allergies in humans) are a shade of yellow. Pollen can actually be several different colors depending on the plant, including pure white.

Tall Morning-glory

Tall Morning-glory (Ipomoea Purpurea) is a hardy vine that produces very bright, purplish-blue flowers with white centers. Like all varieties of morning-glory, it is also called "bindweed" for its tenacious ability to wind around and kill other plants. Although the centers are white, the white pollen can still clearly be seen by the naked eye, especially if dusted across the purple flowers by an insect.

Impatiens eriosperma

This rare species of impatiens features fluffy bunches of white pollen on the male plants, which is easily visible against the bright pink flowers. This evergreen, perennial plant is native to Madagascar and is grown in the same conditions as other impatiens: warm temperatures and high humidity, plus moist, well-draining soil.

White Chicory

The white chicory is actually an albino form of the blue chicory. This rare flower has white petals and pure white pollen. The common blue chicory, on the other hand, has pale yellow pollen.

Mutations

In some plants, white pollen is a mutation. Some types of petunias show this mutation, and maize (corn) sometimes does as well. The white pollen shows up in place of the normal yellow pollen. In such cases, the white pollen has been shown to be sterile. White pollen has also been found in a few isolated bristlecone and red pine trees.