Page 59 - The Miracle In The Seed

Seed Dispersal

it splits suddenly into two halves, and its
tiny black seeds are dispersed in all directi-
ons. 20
The seedpod of a tropical tree called
Hura crepitans, consists of a dozen small
chambers fused together. The seedpods
burst noisily in the heat of the sun. After the se-
edpods pop, the seeds and split pods are scattered
in the surrounding environment. Hura crepi-
tans is one of the most successful at pro-
pelling its seeds to great distances.
When the time comes, it can hurl them
up to about a few meters. 21

Above right: The Hura plant disperses its
seeds by bursting the seed case.
Right: Impatiens balfourii has a very original
dispersion technique. The pods burst on con-
tact, scattering their
seeds. They do not
remain flat, as they
appear in the pic-
ture, but become
rounded due to
pressure between
the outer layer en-
closing the seed
and the protective
inner layer.