Page 82 - The Miracle In The Seed
P. 82
THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED
Seeds With Special Protection
An aril, which looks like a small, fleshy swelling, is the fine pro-
tective covering surrounding the seed of some plants. Animals usually
devour this protective semi-layer rather than the seed itself. Some of
the seeds protected by an aril are as follows:
In autumn, the yew tree (Taxus baccata) produces vivid red arils
that contrast wonderfully with its dark green needle-like leaves. The
arils’ sweet taste is particu-
larly enticing for black-
birds, but they spit out the
bitter-tasting seeds. This is
extremely important, since
the seeds must be pierced
by the birds’ sharp beaks
before germination can take
place. Should blackbirds
swallow the seeds, they are
resilient enough to suffer no
damage in the birds’ diges-
tive tract. The yew seeds al-
so contain extremely toxic
alkaloids, which cause
heart failure in living crea-
tures ingesting them. This
substance is used as poison
on the tips of arrows and al-
so made into toxic prepara-
tions, but are often used in
treatments – the most im-
portant of which are morp-
hine, strychnine and
atropine.
