LIFE HISTORIES OF FAMILIAR PLANTS 



and strengthened in the offspring that followed. 

 But the point that does not seem so clear is how 

 they came to develop wings at all, for naturally 

 the plant could not discover the use of these organs 

 by premeditation of the matter. Let us trace the 

 development of one of these winged sycamore 

 ^^ keys " and I think it will not only explain how 

 the seed acquired its wings, but will also introduce 

 to us some very fascinating sidelights on sycamore 

 history. 



Having thus witnessed the flight of the seeds in 

 autumn, and wondered at Nature's curious methods 

 of attaining her ends, it is, of course, quite easy 

 then to go on our way and forget the matter com- 

 pletely. Let us, however, bear in mind that the 

 fluttering and whirling seed is only the first step in 

 Nature's scheme. When the seed reaches the soil, 

 it is travelling with such force that it often pene- 

 trates soft ground, and so gets half sown, and even 

 if it alights upon grass it generally lands low down, 

 well between the numerous blades, rather than on 

 their surface. Then assisted by the rain, and the 

 accumulating debris of autumn, it slowly becomes 

 embedded in the soil, and is seen no more. 



In Fig. 8 (Plate 6) we see what happens to 

 the seed that has successfully carried out these first 

 manoeuvres. It remains hidden away in the 

 humus and moist soil throughout the remaining 

 autumn and winter months —indeed until the end 

 of March of the next year. Then from the lower 

 side of its rounded end, a delicate and pale- 

 coloured shoot breaks through the hard protective 



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