The Catkin

The catkin has both sexes. The Male catkins has two to ten flowers from 3/4 to 2 1/4 inches long and 1/2 to two inches wide. The male flowers have one gland that secretes nectar and partially connected at base.

The female catkin has two to eleven flowers from 1 1/4 to three inches long and 3/4 to three inches wide. Female flowers have separate glands that secrete nectar.

The colors of the leaves in a flower cluster are brownish yellow, dark green, pinkish, or brown being widest toward the tip. Also the flowers of the catkin have a polished surface and a tasseled border at the edges.

The stamen is the pollen bearing part of a catkin flower called the anthers. The anther is hairy on lower half. The beginning color of the anther is purple and then changes to yellow. The shape of the anther is thick, round and with a straight shaft.

The ovaries of the catkin are pear-shaped. The stigmas of the flower are the part of the catkin that receives the pollen and has two plump lobes. The fruit of the catkin is about one to three inches long and has a rounded shape.

Enjoy the Arctic flora, but treat it with the respect and tenderness it deserves.

A very dwarfed shrub above timberline, the catkin and a species most characteristic of sub-alpine zones grows from about 4000 to 6000 feet above sea level.

Go To Page: 1 2