Page 70 - The Miracle In The Seed
P. 70
THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED
tury, R.H. France, the inventor of the saltcel-
lar, was inspired by the finely crafted struc-
ture of these plants! 31
The seedpods of orchids have three
compartments. When these pods mature
they burst, scattering clouds of tiny seeds
that are practically weightless and have no
reserve of nutrients. Even the embryo has
not developed fully, and so orchid seeds
need very special conditions to germi-
nate. But this is no disadvanta-
ge, because as many as 2
million seeds may be produ-
ced from a single orchid se-
edpod. 32
When plants like the
snapdragon (above
left) and the poppy,
whose seedpod is
shown in cross-sec-
tion above, are shaken
by the wind, they dis-
perse thousands of
seeds. The picture to
the left shows the flow-
ers of the poppy.
Fluffy Seeds
Just like the seeds with parachutes, fluffy seeds do not fall straight
to the ground. Clematis, for example, waits for the wind to make their
mother plant sway and carry the seeds away. Plants like pampas grass
with their long, feathery plumes wave in the wind like flags, letting
their seeds be carried far by the wind. 33
