PLANTS THAT ARE ATHLETES 83 



pendages, often growing from the pointed end of 

 the seed. 



It is not uncommon to find plants sailing in the 

 water that are supposed to travel only in the air; 

 for example the milkweeds can easily use their air- 

 ship equipment as sails in the water. These sails 

 have no difficulty in propelling the flat-margined 

 seeds. Occasionally a number of the hairy sails be- 

 come free from their seeds and form a sort of 

 drifting raft for other tiny seeds that may have 

 caught on to them. 



Some small plants, like the bulblets of the wild 

 garlic, actually float or swim while growing. It 

 is small wonder that they are so widely distributed. 



In the north, where the snow covers the earth 

 for a large part of the year, it often happens that 

 a thin coating of ice forms on top of the snow. This 

 coating is very slippery, and makes an excellent 

 skating ground for small seeds. And these seeds 

 are ever ready to take advantage of a trip across 

 the ice. They rise with a puff of the wind, alight 

 on the ice, and skate or float to their destination. 

 Away they go, like happy children, out for a win- 

 ter frolic. 



Many of these plants, like the prickly pigweed, 

 and lamb's-quarter, have prepared their children for 

 these winter sports long before they have a chance 



