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Micro World

How small is a dandelion pollen grain?

A dandelion pollen grain is about 35 µm across.

What is measured: spiky pollen grain, diameter

Dandelion Pollen Grain (35 µm) drawn to scale beside a cloud droplet (20 µm) and a human hair (70 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Cloud droplet (20 µm), Dandelion Pollen Grain (35 µm) and Human hair (70 µm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About 1.7× as wide as a cloud droplet
  • About 2 would fit across a human hair
  • About 3 would fit across a human egg cell
  • As wide as about 5 red blood cells side by side
  • About 18× the length of an E. coli bacterium

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Facts about Dandelion Pollen Grain

Dandelion pollen grains have a distinctive spiny surface that helps them stick to pollinating insects.

Source: Palynological Database; University extension pollen guides

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Dandelion Pollen Grain
HeLa Cell20 µm0.57×
Cellulose Fiber20 µm0.57×
Human Erythroblast20 µm0.57×
Human Hepatocyte25 µm0.71×
Human Osteocyte25 µm0.71×
Dandelion Pollen Grain35 µmthis page
Taenia solium Egg35 µmsame size
Tetrahymena thermophila50 µm1.4×
Ascaris lumbricoides Egg60 µm1.7×
Human Cheek Epithelial Cell60 µm1.7×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Dandelion Pollen Grain or Human Hepatocyte?

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