Caudicle

A pollinium when highly developed consists of a mass of pollen-grains, affixed to an elastic foot-stalk or caudicle, and this to a little mass of extremely viscid matter.

The structure of the rostellum and caudicles of the pollinia are worth noting. There are four pollinia, separated into two pairs. Each pair is attached to a long caudicle ending in a mass of sticky material or a distinct, viscid disc, except that in one species, I. intermedia, the two caudicles share a viscid disc. The rostellum in all species has two projections on which the caudicles lie.

The caudicle holds the pollen grains together (Proctor and Harder 1994; Fig. 1).