What are the ways plants spread their seeds?

Many friends are not particularly familiar with the methods of seed dispersal, so how do plants spread their seeds? Which plants are suitable for placing indoors? Today I will give everyone a brief introduction, let's take a look together.

Methods of plant seed dispersal

1. Wind

There are many methods of plant seed dispersal, and wind dispersal is very common. When we talk about wind dispersal, we think of dandelions, right? Some seeds grow appendages shaped like wings or feathers and ride the wind in flight. Seeds with feathery appendages are mostly herbaceous plants, such as Youngia japonica in the Asteraceae family, while woody plants include willow and kapok.

In addition, some tiny seeds have a relatively large surface area-to-weight ratio, so the seeds can drift with the wind, like the seeds of the Orchidaceae family. The achenes of the Asteraceae plant dandelion spread their pappus when mature, like parachutes drifting in the wind, scattering the seeds far away.

2. Water

Water dispersal is also one of the methods of plant seed dispersal, mainly seen in aquatic plants. Seeds dispersed by water have a waxy surface that does not absorb water, fruit skins containing air chambers, and a lower specific gravity than water, so they can float on the water surface and be dispersed by streams or ocean currents. The seed coats of such seeds often have abundant fibrous tissue, which can prevent the seeds from rotting or sinking due to soaking and water absorption. Coastal plants, such as Barringtonia asiatica, Hernandia nymphaeifolia and Terminalia catappa, have typical seeds dispersed by water.

3. Animals

Among the methods of plant seed dispersal, I cannot move, but there is always something that can move, so some plants chose to let animals help them disperse. Most seeds dispersed by birds are fleshy fruits, such as berries, drupes and syconia. Birds peck at the seeds of Lauraceae plants and then spit the seeds out. After the fruit is eaten, the seeds pass through the digestive tract and are excreted at random. Plants that rely on birds to disperse their seeds are a relatively advanced group, because the distance of bird-dispersed seeds is the farthest of all methods.

Mammal dispersal mostly involves some medium and large fleshy fruits or dry fruits. Generally speaking, mammals are relatively large in size and need a large amount of food, so they choose some large fruits. For example, macaques like to eat the fruits of Diospyros blancoi and plantains, and also help these plants disperse.

4. Ballistic ejection

Ballistic ejection is also a method of plant seed dispersal. Some perennial tumbleweeds, such as Aconogonon divaricatum, become brittle at the base of the stem when the seeds on the plant are nearly mature. When the weather is dry and strong winds blow, some part of the stem base breaks away from the root, and the plant rolls around everywhere.

Some annual tumbleweeds, such as Limonium bicolor, have their entire aboveground and underground parts pulled out by strong winds, roots and all, leaving their original place and starting to roll.

Which plants are suitable for placing indoors

1. Pennywort, pennywort is very easy to keep alive, suitable for hydroponics, and does not need much fertilizer or nutrients. It can be placed by the windowsill or beside the computer, and ordinary tap water is enough to keep it alive. It grows fast, and its leaves are round like copper coins, so it looks very beautiful visually.

2. Four-leaf clover, four-leaf clover is a lucky clover and needs soil culture, but it grows amazingly fast and is also an easy grass to raise. It blooms, looks very good visually, and can also absorb dust and dirt. It can be placed on the balcony and plays a role in purifying the air, so many families quite like this plant.

3. Asparagus fern and small aloe are also very popular. Asparagus fern is suitable for placing in the study. Asparagus fern is rather difficult to raise well, but many people like its delicate and graceful beauty, and this is also a very aesthetic expectation. Small aloe is very drought-tolerant and can be placed beside the TV. It does not need frequent care and watering; watering once a week or once every half a month is enough. It needs a little fertilizer, and the aloe leaves can also be taken off to make a face mask.

That is all for the related introduction to methods of plant seed dispersal. I believe that after reading this, everyone has gained some understanding of how plant seeds are dispersed. If any friends want to place plants indoors, you can refer to the related knowledge points I have introduced for everyone.