Quercus Pollen

Quercus Pollen at 200x magnification Quercus Pollen at 500x magnification

The study from which the following data was taken examined the timing and concentration of airborne pollen from 1987 to 1996 to determine the spring pollination periods of several types of pollen. To learn more about this study click here. The table shown here gives information regarding the concentration of Quercus pollen in the air. Dates are given in days after January 1 and concentration is measured in pollen grains per cubic meter of air.

Year

Start Date

End Date

Season Length

Peak Conc.

Date of Peak

Season Total

1987

75

108

34

186

82

1312

1988

92

113

22

903

98

6954

1989

92

112

21

723

106

4849

1990

90

124

35

525

112

3088

1991

90

105

16

1420

95

8862

1992

67

115

49

257

99

2180

1993

102

120

19

1477

108

9003

1994

82

109

28

1045

91

7656

1995

85

106

22

604

99

4554

1996

102

118

17

2225

110

10271

             

Mean

88 (3/29)

113 (4/23)

26

937

100 (4/10)

5873

As can be seen in the table, Quercus pollination began as early as March 8 (Day 67), and ended as late as May 4 (Day 124). However, the average season for airborne Quercus pollen occurs between March 29 and April 23, and it is most abundant in the air around April 10. The following graph expresses the data in a manner that allows one to better visualize the conclusions drawn here.