26 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 
enough to allow the seeds to fall when the stem is 
shaken by the wind, as in Iris, Campion, etc. 
As rain is liable to damage the seeds in such 
censer fruits, some open only when it is dry or have 
a covering. 
Some seeds are flattened to aid their dispersal by 
the wind, as in the Iris, and they may also be winged 
as well. 
Wings are formed on the fruit or samara of the 
Ash, Maple and Elm, and the plant is sent spinning 
along in the air to a distance. In the Hornbeam 
the seed has bracts which serve asa wing, and in the 
Lime the bract serves as an aeroplane. 
In the ‘“ parachute” fruits the fruit is provided 
with tufts of hair, e.g. in Composites, the Dandelion, 
Willow herbs, etc., Cottongrass, Reed Mace. In the 
Wild Clematis the achene has a long hairy style. 
Water plants disperse their seeds in several ways. 
Most of the fruits are achenes, nuts, or schizocarps, 
and they ripen below the water. The curious 
Vallisneria draws the seed down to ripen it. Usually 
the fruits sink in water. Some, as in the Water 
Lilies, float in the water for some time and are 
carried to a distance. 
Animals disperse seeds of fleshy fruits by feeding 
on them, passing them uninjured through the body. 
Fruits of shrubs and trees are scattered by birds, 
and they are often of attractive colour, whilst some 
mimic insects, etc. 
Other fruits, being bristly or hooked, catch in the 
