Tree's sex can determine different pollen production & spring allergies, expert says

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — The spring season is synonymous with allergies, and more specifically pollen allergies.

We have millions of trees across the Palmetto State, but if you ever stop and take a closer look, you'll probably notice some grow additional things like flowers, acorns and fruits, while others do not.

Those features can tell you the sex of a tree, and different sexes of trees produce different types of pollen. Alongside being classified as their type, like birch, oak, maple, and pine, trees also have sexes.

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"Trees can be male trees or female trees, most trees, actually, are both. They combine both sexes into one organism, and that's why trees can produce, you know - pollen," said Miles Arnott, Brookgreen Gardens' Vice President for Horticulture and Conservation.

Arnott said from the South Strand to the North Strand, the majority of the trees across our area have both sexes, and from March to May – it's essentially tree mating season.

Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for the trees, pollens very inexpensive to produce, it's cheap. They can make pollen all day long, so they make a lot of it and throw it out there to affect wind pollination," said Arnott.

"When the trees release their pollen, in the springtime, most of these trees have both male and female parts on the same tree, and the pollen is released into the air," Arnott explained. "It blows back and forth, and it can be picked up by neighboring trees, or it can be picked up by a tree 100 miles away. I mean, the pollen gets carried for hundreds of miles, right? And that sort of helps with the genetic diversity of the trees."

However, pollen will only fertilize its same type, for example: Live Oak to Live Oak, Birch to Birch, Bald Cyprus to Bald Cyprus, and so on.

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Along our coast, we're no strangers to seeing bright yellow pollen everywhere during the spring season, but Arnott said that's actually the less reactive pollen; as the wind-blown pollen is the type that most people react to.

"I think the worst offenders are probably Oak trees, Birch trees, Beach trees, Hickory trees, all those trees that are all wind-pollinated. To some extent, Pine, right? Pine is the pollen you see where there's yellow all over your car and all over everything. Pine pollen is well, people tend not to be terribly reactive to Pine pollen," he said.

For those who battle seasonal pollen allergies, Arnott recommends other trees or plants to consider having in your yard instead. He said Southern Magnolias, which are native to South Carolina, Dogwood trees, Flowering Plum trees, and Flowering Cherry trees are all great alternatives.

None of those tree types produce airborne pollen, but they're still pollinator friendly; meaning it helps the trees, the bees and you!

Arnott also said plants that have bigger flowers are a good landscaping alternative because they're insect-pollinated.