What are the common ways flowers spread their seeds?

Different flowers have different methods of spreading their seeds, specifically: spread by animals, spread by wind, spread by water, and spread by mechanical ejection.

1. Spread by water

Coconut: spread by water. After the coconut matures, the coconut fruit falls into the sea and drifts far away with the seawater; after the fruit of the water lily matures, it sinks to the bottom of the water. After the fruit skin rots, the seeds wrapped in a spongy outer seed coat float up and drift to other places.

2. Spread by small birds or other animals

Cherries, wild grapes, and wild ginseng rely on small birds or other animals to eat the seeds into their stomachs; since they cannot be digested, they are excreted with the droppings and spread in all directions; pine nuts are carried away by squirrels when they store food for the winter.

3. Spread by wind

The red-skinned willow spreads its seeds far away by the fluttering of willow catkins.

4. Spread by mechanical means

The fruit of the garden balsam bursts open and flings the seeds in all directions; this is the method of spreading seeds by mechanical means.