Category Science

                       Some mangroves produce seeds that spear themselves into the mud. While the seed is still attached to the tree, a long root emerges. The seed drops like a dart and the root sticks in the mud, anchoring the plant firmly as it develops.

                      The young mangroves trap tidal mud and, in this way, the whole bank of mangroves gradually grows in size.

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                     Many seeds can survive for hundreds of years, providing they are kept in dry conditions. In 1954 a seed was found buried in frozen mud in Canada. The seed was 10,000 years old, yet it still grew when it was planted. Seeds kept for research purposes are stored in refrigerators to provide similar cold, dry conditions.

                    Animals eat plant fruits, the fleshy wrappings around seeds. Seeds spread in this way can resist the digestive processes of the animals that feed on the fruit. They pass right through the animal’s gut without injury. The seeds start to grow when they are deposited in the animal’s dung, which often acts as a fertilizer.

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                  The biggest seed is the coco de mer, a kind of coconut that grows in the Seychelles, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. The coco de mer seeds weigh 20 kg each, so it can be dangerous to walk beneath the parent tree. These giant seeds take 10 years to develop on the tree.

                   Strangely, the coco de mer does not grow close to the beach, so how the giant seeds reach the sea is still not understood.

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                          Many seeds are carried by the wind. Some have a fluffy ‘umbrella’, which is carried for long distances. Others have wings that allow the seed to glide or spin around like a helicopter blade. The wings slow the seed’s descent so that the wind can carry it further away. One particular seed, from a tropical tree called Zanonia, glides so effectively it was used as the model for the wings of early planes.

Picture credit: google

                        After fertilization takes place, the egg cell develops into a seed from which a new plant can develop. The seed contains an embryo from which the new plant will grow. It also contains a food store to nourish the embryo until it has developed roots and leaves. The seed is enclosed in a tough coat to protect it from drying out.