SEED DISTRIBUTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 139, 13 June 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

SEED DISTRIBUTION.

NATURAL METHODS OF PRESERVATION.

The seed vessels of the Himalayan balsa in (Impatiens roylei) eject the seeds when ripe in a singular manner. The fruit is about an inch long, four angled, and when ripe the upper half of the fruit splits in four, downwards, the valves curling inwards and throwing the hard, round seeds in all directions. To take hold of one of these ripe fruit with the finger, and thumb is to experience a shock as when handling some small, wriggling insect. The weed known as shepherd's purse also distributes its seed by the opening of the seed vessel when ripe. Gorse and broom are examples of this; anyone standing near a clump of either on {i sunny day in autumn can easily hear the sharp cracking of the pods as they burst. The seeds of thistle, Cape weed, or of dandelion travel ; considerable distances. The seed of willow and ppplars are blown about in much the same manner as those of the thistle, but there is less cottony substance surrounding their seed, though on the tree in the mass, the white, fluffy, cotton-like seed cases are conspicuous. The ash, sycamore and maples have seeds that are provided with wings, by means of^ which they are carried a distance, floating on the wind, turning round and round as they, go, finally coming to earth with the seed downward. The seed of a single birch, alder, or beech in full bearing must be reckoned'in tens of thousands. On a sunny day, in a wood of pines, one may hear an almost continual crackling which resembles far-off rifle fire; it is caused by the opening of the cones, under the influence of the sun's rays. Pine cones expand and contract according to the weather being dry or moist. Even after the seeds are shed the cones will remain with their scales open in dry weather. Should rain fall, .however, they close again quite tightly, opening again when dry, and this goes on according to the weather, until decay sets in.