z 
y 
106 SOUTH AFRICAN BOTANY 
known “loofah” or bath-sponge. The Cocoa-nut fruit 
is also dispersed by floating, hence Cocoa-nut Palms 
are among the first plants to grow on coral islands. 
Water-lily seeds have a spongy covering which enables 
them to float. 
73. Explosive Fruits.—Explosive fruits are few in 
number, and do not succeed in sending the seed to any 
great distance. In some, the propulsion of the seeds 
Fia. 59.—Martynia proboscidea. 
depends on the extreme turgidity in some part of the 
fruit, e.g. Impatiens (Touch-me-not) and Oxalis (Sorrel). 
Some of the Leguminosae have pods that burst open 
suddenly, the two halves becoming twisted. In the 
Geranium, the styles curl up and jerk out the seeds, and 
in the Violet and Pansy the capsule splits open and 
throws out the seeds to some distance. These various 
methods of dispersal are very important to plants. The 
wide distribution of seeds gives them a better chance in 
