XVII 



MORPHOLOGY OF SEEDS AND FRUIT 



233 



3. The seeds of the Willow, Poplar, and Willow-herb, have 

 tufts of hair, which act like the pappus of the Dandelion. 



4. The seeds may be winged, as in the Begonia. 



5. The seeds may be small or flattened in form, as in the 

 Orchid, Poppy, Larkspur, and Wallflower, when they are 

 scattered by the wind blowing them out of the fruits. 



Seeds Scattered by Explosive Fruits. Explosive 

 fruits are not common, but the following examples will illustrate 

 their action. In the Box, the seeds are smooth, and are dis- 

 charged by the pericarp contracting and forcing the seeds out like 



FIG. 231. Violet. F, explosive fruit ; 

 S, seeds being shot out of fruit. 



FIG. 232. Wood Sorrel. F, sling 

 fruit ; S, seeds being slung out of 

 fruit. 



a bean shot from between the fingers. The capsule of the Violet 

 splits open, and, as the valves dry, they contract and fling out 

 the seeds. In the Wood-Sorrel and Squirting Cucumber, the 

 fruit dehisces suddenly, and ejects the seeds for a considerable 

 distance. 



Seeds Scattered by Clinging to Animals. Plants 

 may produce fruits, and in a few rare cases seeds, which are 

 armed with hooks, by which the seeds adhere to the hair or 

 wool of animals. A most familiar example is the Galium, which 

 grows in many of the hedgerows in the country lanes through- 

 out the United Kingdom. Fruits which are armed with hooks 



