CHAPTER XXII 



DISPERSAL OF SEEDS 



300. It is to the plant's advantage to have its seeds 

 distributed as widely as possible. It has a better chance 

 of surviving in the struggle for exis- 

 tence. It gets away from competition. 

 Many seeds and fruits are of such 

 character as to increase ( 

 their chances of wide dis- »\ 

 persal. The commonest Vi 

 means of dissemination l| \ , 



may be classed under four w A 



Explosive fruits of l^eads : explosive fruits ; /| 



pod\'s%hownaT?.''Thf transportation Inj wind; /f 



6\'^ThTsr™ltx'?e°of\he transportation Inj hirds ; \J 



pod is seen at a. \)UTS *^V 



801. EXPLOSIVE FRUITS.— Some pods >k 



open with explosive force and scatter the ^^s 



seeds. Even beans and everlasting peas (Fig. %, 



246) do this. More marked ^ 



examples are the locust, ^/^/ 



witch hazel , garden balsam , AM^ 

 wild jewel weed or impa- /^/f 

 tiens, violet, and the oxalis JF 

 (Fig. 273). The oxalis is 274. winsed seeds 



1 • of catalpa. 



common in several species 

 in the wild and in cultivation. One 

 of them is known as wood -sorrel. 

 Fig. 273 shows the common yellow 

 oxalis. The pod opens loculicidally 

 (158) 



Wind-blown fruits 

 of dandelion. 



