Let's Get It On
Most apples are self-incompatible and must be
cross-
pollinated to develop fruit. Many varieties of
apples and crabapples have viable and compatible pollen for
reproduction. This pollen is carried from one flower to
another flower on a different tree by pollinators. The
main pollinators of Malus domestica are bees. This can
include many types of bees like
honey bees,
rusty-patched bumble bees, carpenter bees, and orchard mason
bees. These bees are attracted to nectar produced in the
flower.
Like all plants, Malus domestica has a life cycle with an
alternation of generations. This means that the organism
grows and alternates between a haploid stage (n) and a diploid
state (2n). The image shows a general sexual life cycle of
all angiosperms. The left side of the image shows a female
gametophyte developing an embryo sac. The right side of
the image shows a male gametophyte developing a pollen grain.
At the bottom of the image the pollen fertilizes the embryo sac
to form a zygote, which is the seed.
