FRUITS AND THEIR USES 123 



No. 9. The Pea, a type of all the family, which throws out the seeds by the 

 twisting of the pod, as it dries. 



No. 10. The Wild Geranium, slings its seeds, as the pod splits upward. 



No. 11, the Violet and No. 14, the Witch-hazel, pinch their seeds out, as the 

 pod dries and closes together. 



No. 12, the "Pitch-fork" and No. 13, Desmodium, catch on animals, by 

 their hooks, and are thus scattered. 



Dispersal by Water. A considerable number of plants secure 

 dispersal by having fruits that float, without absorbing water, 



FIG. 39. Milkweed (Asdepias cornilu) dissemination of seed. From 



Atkinson. 



and so are carried by rivers or ocean currents to favorable places 

 along the shore. Sedges and coconuts are examples of this type. 

 Mechanical Dispersal. Some of the most curious adaptations for 

 seed dispersal are the mechanical devices by which seeds are thrown 

 from the pods for a considerable distance. The touch-me-not, 



