Galleries / Flowering Plants' Secret Weapon

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published November 14, 2006

Wild leek

Stickseed

Yellow floating heart

Yellow Star of Bethlehem

Larkspur

Yellow cape cowslip

Sand milkwort

Wasp nest

Yellow owl's clover

Ragged robin

Tongue leaf

Corn flower

<p>Flattened seeds float easily on the wind and they often have a textured surface that may help them lodge in soil when they land.</p>

<p>Barbed spikes harpoon the fur or skin of a passing animal to ensure transport to a new setting. The amazing sticking power of such hitchhiking seeds inspired engineer and amateur mountaineer George de Mastral to invent Velcro.</p>

<p>Flat and water-repellent, the seed has a border of stiff hairs that help it stay afloat and stick to the feathers of waterbirds.</p>

<p>An array of spikes on the seed may help it catch a ride on the wind. This image, like all the electron micrographs in this gallery, is in false color.</p>

<p>The papery fringe that wraps around the seed helps it ride the wind. Other windborne seeds have wings that cause them to flutter or spin to the ground, potentially drifting farther from the tree.</p>

<p>The hollow protuberance on the right may help the seed float in wind or water, or it may attract ants to carry the seed away.</p>

<p>The protein-rich tidbit at the base of the seed - the elaiosome - attracts ants that nibble the seed and carry it off a short distance.</p>

<p>Wind-dispersed seeds often have a honeycomb texture. The pattern maximises structural stability in the thin seed coats.</p>

<p>The nippled texture is common among plants in the pink family, which includes carnations, although it's function is unkown. The seeds are dispersed by wind.</p>

<p>This warty-looking seed is released from capsules that rupture as they dry. The most extreme seed lobber is the sandbox tree, whose exploding capsules can toss seeds up to 40 feet.</p>

<p>The tufts on top move in and out with changes in humidity pusing into the ground and causing the seed to creep a bit. The base, like that of the sand milkwort seed, holds a tip that lures ants.</p>

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