Page 36 - The Miracle In The Seed

In seeds there is as great a
variety as there are plants
in the world. When we con-
sider that the seed of every
plant has a different shape,
contains a different amount
of nutrient reserve, and has
a coat with a different thick-
ness, we can see evidence
of their wondrous creation.

Dry seeds often have a special structural fea-
ture like tufts to let them be transported.
Seeds of Epilobium glaberrinum shown
below are dispersed by the wind. The seed-
pods consist of four parts. As soon as these
separate, the plant’s tufted seeds disperse in
the air and carried away in the wind.

It is possible to tell
how seeds are dis-
tributed by looking
at their structure.
While these feathery
seeds are dispersed by the wind, those
of the plant shown above are dissemi-
nated when the plant has dried out.