Germination vs Pollination: What’s the Difference?

The difference at a glance

Pollination is the transfer of pollen to fertilize a plant. Germination is the physical process of the seed sprouting and beginning to grow.

What does Germination mean?

noun · /ˌdʒɜː.mɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

The development of a plant from a seed or spore after a period of dormancy, when conditions become favourable. The process of germination requires the right conditions — water, warmth, and light — before the seed, which may have waited years, finally breaks open.

Germination in a sentence

The seeds had been stored for a century before germination proved possible — ancient life made current.

The idea germinated slowly — months passed before she understood what she'd actually been thinking.

What does Pollination mean?

noun · /ˌpɒl.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

The transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another, enabling fertilization and seed production. Performed by wind, water, and animals: bees, butterflies, birds, and bats. Without pollinators, most food crops cannot reproduce.

Pollination in a sentence

One third of the food we eat depends on bee pollination — a figure that makes their decline genuinely alarming.

Hand pollination of vanilla is done by human workers in most growing regions — why vanilla remains one of the most expensive spices.

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