Self-pollination

The process by which the mature pollen of a flower is deposited on the stigma of that same flower is called self-pollination.

Figure to be added

Figure 14.7 — self-pollination: pollen passing from the stamens of a flower onto the stigma of the same flower.

What it is good for

It is reliable. The pollen has the shortest possible distance to travel and needs no insect, no wind and no second plant, so a self-pollinating flower will set seed even standing alone in a field on a still day.

What it costs

Both gametes come from one plant, so there is very little to mix. The offspring resemble the parent closely, generation after generation, and the population gains almost no new characteristics — which is why so many flowers go to some trouble to avoid it.