Seeds contain everything needed to form a new plant. To do that, they need to be scattered away from the parent plant to a new place on the soil where they can grow. Different types of plant have different ways of spreading their seeds. Some need animals to move them, while others use wind or even fire to scatter them.
Blow in the wind
Some plants have very light seeds and so can use the wind to spread them. This dandelion has seeds with tiny parachutes that allow them to be carried away when the wind blows.
Tasty treats
Many plants have seeds that are hidden inside tasty fruits, such as berries. When an animal eats the fruit, the seeds pass through its body unharmed and are released in its droppings.
Sticky seeds
Animals can carry seeds away from plants without even realizing it. Sticky seeds will fix on different parts of their body, while some seeds, called burs, have little hooks that attach to the animal’s fur.
Exploding pods
The Himalayan balsam plant keeps its seeds in pods. These pods explode when they are ripe, shooting the seeds out of them. The explosion can scatter the seeds up to 7 m (22 ft) away, often startling unsuspecting passers-by.
Earth, wind, and fire
Some plants have more dramatic or unusual ways of spreading their seeds. Fire may kill the parent plants, but it leaves behind fertile ash for their seeds to grow in.
Heat treatment
Jack pine cones are glued shut with resin. When a fire sweeps through the trees, the resin melts and the seeds are released.
Desert rover
Tumbleweed is the dried-up top part of some plants. It rolls around the desert whenever the wind blows, scattering its seed as it goes.
Picture Credit : Google