Question

How do plants encourage cross pollination

Answer 1

Pollination and fertilisation are the two key steps in plant sexual reproduction. ... To some extent plants can control pollination, often to encourage cross-pollination. They may do this, for example, by the stigma ripening and becoming receptive to pollen before the pollen in the same plant is ripe.

Answer 2

Some plants do encourage cross pollonation. For eg there are flowers in which the sexual organs do not mature together. In such cases the either the androecium or the gynoecium mature first. So in such cases cross pollination is the only way to reproduce. In some flowers the the reproductive organs are situated at different heights. In this case also the only way to pollinate is cross pollination. In some flowers the nectaries are situated deep inside the flower. So to obtain the nectar the insects go in and the pollens get stuck on their bodies and when they feed on the other flower of the same species the pollens reach the gynoecium resulting in cross pollination.