Page 56 - The Miracle In The Seed

THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED

But what is the source of this conscious planning? It’s of course impos-
sible for a flowering plant to get together with a bird or a squirrel and
decide to set up a dispersion system, or for these life forms to make a
joint decision as to what each will do to operate the system. Plants are
incapable of making a reproductive plan or setting up a system accor-
ding to it. But when the time comes, every plant starts its reproductive
operations, produces its seeds and distributes them in the necessary
way. Throughout the world, each plant of the same species acts in the
same way in the same sequence, using the same system.

Plants with Ballistic Knowledge
For dispersion of their seeds, most plants require an outside
agency – wind, gravity, or animals. But some flowering plants propel
their seeds into the air when a drop of rain falls on them or when touc-
hed. For instance, the seeds of the evening primrose (Oenethera biennis)
are stored in capsules which are sealed when dry. When these capsules
get wet, they immediately open in the shape of a goblet. In this positi-
on, raindrops are enough to distribute the seeds. The henna plant’s yel-
low, orange and brown speckled flowers can be seen growing at any
roadside. When touched, they propel their seeds like a pistol going off.
But this raises a very important point. As we know, plants are sta-
tic life forms, unable to move around. But for them to be capable of
propulsion, some form of energy must be required. This energy is acti-
vated during changes in the seedpod where the seeds are located. The
pods crinkle as they dry in the sun, which generates latent energy. In
much the same way, when the seed is moistened by rain, the swelling
seedpod creates energy that can be triggered for propulsion. 18
In such dispersion operations, finely balanced mechanisms are at
work in plants. The timing of the plant’s dispersion of its seeds is also
very important, as illustrated by the Mediterranean squirting cucum-
ber.