Methods Of Dispersal In Plants

Why do you think plants need to disperse? They need to disperse so that the seeds will get into a spacious place and grow again. There are 4 different methods of dispersal. They are by the wind, by animals, by water and by splitting / exploding.

- Flame of the forest, Balsam Tree, Okra, Saga, Rubber Tree, Witch Hazel, Kapok Tree disperse their seeds by exploding.

1) Flame of the forest: The seed pods are from 7-9 cm long. The sides of the pod dries at different rates and so it creates tension and it explodes open and the seeds fly 7-8  away from the tree.

2) Balsam Tree: Nickname: Touch-Me-Not. The seed pods of this tree is big. Once you touch it, it explodes in all directions. So you better not touch it!

3) Okra: The seed pods of this okra tree is called the lady's finger as it is long like it. Inside it, the seeds are round and slimy. The lady's finger splits open when it is dried out.

4) Saga: The seed pods of this tree are curved and when the sides dry at different rates, it creates tension and it splits open.

5) Rubber Tree: The fruit of this tree is lobed shaped and there are 3 seeds each inside one fruit. They explode into 3 pieces.

6) Witch Hazel: The fruits are in a capsule in which the leaves are very feathery and inside the fruit, the seeds will shoot out of the fruit and the capsules and will travel long distances.

7) Cotton Tree: The seed pods split open when it is dried and when it opens, it needs strong wind in order to dislodge them from the pods and then when it drops down, it will get sucked in and will grow into a  new tree again.

- The plants which get their seeds dispersed by water are the coconut tree, the pong pong tree, the lotus and the mangrove.

1) Coconut Tree: The seeds are in a waterproof and light covering which drops from the trees and there is food and water inside so that the coconut will be able to survive on its long watery journey and when it reaches land, the embryo germinates.

2) Pong Pong Tree: The fruit falls and the covering decays and  the seeds will be light enough to be carried by ocean currents.

3) Lotus: The seeds of this particular plant has its own hole and when the seed ripens, the pod will touch down which then the seeds will go along with the water currents.

4) Mangrove: This plant's seed's dispersal depends on the tides. If there is a low tide, the seed will drop and germinate in the mud. If there is a high tide, the roots will touch the water and the seed germinates on its parent plant.

- The plants which get their seeds dispersed by animals are Beggar-Ticks, Mimosa Plant, Blackberries, Cherry, Papaya, Tomato and Rambutan.

1) Beggar-Ticks: The seeds are flat and straight. It has hooks which clung on to animals and drop off when shaked and it germinates there.

2) Mimosa Plant: The seed pod is round and contains seeds which are flattened. It gets stuck to animal and germinates when dropped.

3) Blackberries: The fruit contains seeds which get eaten by animals and the seed does not get digested and comes out as the animal's dropping and it germinates at that particular place.

4) Cherry: It contains seeds which drop out when getting eaten as they are slimy and it germinates at that particular place.

5) Papaya: The fruit gets eaten which the animals eat and they do not get eaten because they are too big and then they germinate and grow into a new plant.

6) Tomato: The fruit is known as a vegetable and the seeds get eaten up by the animal and come out as its droppings and it germinates at that particular place.

7) Rambutan: The fruit is hairy and it gets clung onto animals which brush through them and the seeds pop out when the fruit is dried and it germinates and grows into a new plant.