What methods do wild plants use to spread their seeds, and how are they sown?

Plants grown artificially today are basically all hand-pollinated. So what methods do wild plants use to spread their seeds? How are wild plants sown? Below, the Tumliu.com editor will tell everyone.

1. Spreading by wind

Wind is everywhere, and the wind on Earth becomes the “free ride” for seeds to travel. Seeds dispersed by wind are generally small and light, and the wind can blow them to distant places; when the wind is strong, the distance they are spread is even farther. Some seeds often have downy hairs or fruit wings on their surface, and these special structures are suited to flying with the help of the wind. For example, the most common Emilia sonchifolia in the south has a small parachute on its seed; when the wind blows, the small parachute carries the seed far away to settle down. Dandelion seeds are light and small, with a ring of white fuzz at the top; after they mature and the wind blows, they dance all over the sky and drift into the distance. Another example is the seeds of poplar and willow trees, which grow soft fuzz and ride the May spring wind in free flight, flying to distant places. Yet another example is the seeds of pine, maple, and elm, which grow small wings; with the help of the wind, they can easily fly in all directions to expand their territory.

2. Spreading by animals

In addition to the forces of nature, animals also deserve no small credit for helping fruits and seeds spread. Animals differ from plants in that they are highly mobile in life, so plants often use animals as a medium to complete dispersal and expansion. Among animals, birds make the most outstanding contribution. According to different feeding methods, fruit-eating birds are divided into seed-eating birds and pulp-eating birds. Seed-eating birds peck away the pulp and eat only the seeds of the fruit; pulp-eating birds peck only the pulp and discard the seeds, or swallow the fruit whole and then digest the pulp and excrete the seeds with their droppings. Wherever the birds fly, the seeds of these plants will be scattered there, and some of the fruits will grow into new plants there. Examples include cherries and wild grapes. Although some plants do not have sweet pulp, their seeds use burrs and hooked needles to hang on people's clothes, or stick to the bodies of animals. If you walk in the grass, many plant seeds or fruits will stick to your clothes or pants, or cling to the bodies of other animals, such as Plantago asiatica, Indigofera pseudo-tinctoria, Bidens pilosa, and Xanthium strumarium.

3. Spreading by water

Plants growing by the water usually spread their seeds by means of water. For example, after a coconut matures, the coconut 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. There are also Pongamia pinnata, Barringtonia asiatica, and Cerbera manghas, and so on.

All right, the above is the Tumliu.com editor's presentation of what methods plants use to spread their seeds. Friends who like it can follow Tumliu.com, and we will see you next time.