Aubergine pollen grains. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of pollen grains from the flower of an aubergine (Solanum melongena, eggplant) plant. aubergine ( eggplant) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum melongena is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Pollen grains are the male gametes (sex cells) of a plant. Their characteristic surface is used by botanists to recognise and classify plants. Pollen in plants is used for transferring male genetic material from the anther of a single flower to the stigma of another in cross-pollination. In a case of self-pollination, this process takes place from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same flower. Magnification: x500, when printed 10 centimetres wide.