Page 62 - The Miracle In The Seed

THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED

On maturity, the seed-
pods of most plants like
the broad bean split open
as the tissue dries out.
The seedpods wrinkle
and twist open. The cells
of the tissue of the open-
ing section of this plant
are arranged in a weak
line, so that any amount
of pressure causes the
pod to split often very
suddenly.

Seeds Dispersed by the Wind
Seeds carried by the wind must be light enough and of a suitable
shape to be airborne. For instance, any seed the size and shape of a ha-
zelnut or a coconut cannot take to the air. For this reason, all seeds bor-
ne on the wind are very light; and bear feathery or wing-like
structures.
The great majority of wind-borne seeds have matured by the be-
ginning of autumn, when the winds are strongest. Remarkably, the au-
tumn winds begin just at the time when the seeds mature.
The plants whose seeds are dispersed by the wind differ from
each other in their structures, in much the same way as do the plants
themselves. For instance, in the North African deserts, fruits and seeds
are either winged or light and fluffy. The fruit and seeds of plants of the
Nubian Desert in Northeast Sudan and the North American deserts are
dispersed by light winds. In the Middle East and North Africa, plants
assume a round ball-like shape and in times of drought are dragged
around by the wind. 24
The dandelion, lettuce, and thistle are a few of the plants whose
seeds are dispersed by the wind. Another example is the groundc-
herry, whose seeds are in paperlike sacs that have air in them and act as
small balloons to help them move in the wind. 25