Page 66 - The Miracle In The Seed

THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED

The Terminalia
plant has V-shaped
wings.

When the airplane was invented, in-
spiration was taken from birds. The
inspiration for a helicopter came from
dragonflies, and from plant seeds
that spin around a central point.
Pictures are examples of seeds of
plants that disperse their seeds by
air.

Maple seeds hang on the tree like
pairs of wings.

stay longer in the air. When the wind drops, the seeds spiral slowly to
the ground. As the European maple is thinly dispersed in the region
where it grows, the wind is one of the main aids in its dispersal.
Thanks to this feature, the helicopter seeds, which are created to spin
even in a light breeze, can sometimes travel many kilometers. 27
The Terminalia calamansanai has seeds with V-shaped wings,
thanks to which they can glide on a gentle air current much like a pa-
per plane. 28

Parachute Seeds

People jump from great heights safely, with parachutes whose
specially designed shape lets the user glide through the air. Some seeds
also have similar structures.
When they mature, parachute seeds do not immediately fall to the