Page 41 - The Miracle In The Seed

Signs of Creation in the Seed

The seed coat is not the only fac-
tor to protect the seed embryo
and aid in its dispersion. In
some species, these functions
can also be carried out by the
fruit. For instance, in Nicandra
physaloide, whose various
stages of development
are shown in the pic-
tures, the ovule devel-
ops into a swollen fruit
full of seeds. If part of
the top layer is removed
from this fruit, the seeds
appear to have grown to
a size 500 times larger than
the ovules’ original dimensions.
The seeds are connected to the
mother plant by bonds that share
the same nature as an umbilical
cord. (Grains de Vie, p. 26.)

materials as fine as the membrane covering a bean or
as hard and woody as a cherry stone. Seed coats that must
be water-resistant are tougher and thicker than the rest.
For a seed we frequently encounter in our daily lives, let’s use the
bean as an example.
Depending on the variety, the bean may be enclosed in one or two
coverings that protect the seed from harsh conditions such as cold air,
drought or mechanical effects, in the same way as an overcoat. This is
where all contact is made with the outside world.
At the point where the bean has broken off from where it was at-