There are two ways for plants to spread seeds: one is to rely on external forces, such as wind, water, animals and humans; The other is to rely on the power generated by itself.

self propagation

The so-called autobiography is spread by plants themselves and does not depend on other media.

For example, spray melon, a plant belonging to Cucurbitaceae, usually bears a small "melon" with burrs. When the melon is ripe, it will fall off at the slightest touch, and the seeds in the melon will gush out from it with mucus, which can reach five meters.

wind dispersal

Plants that spread seeds by wind: dandelion, chrysanthemum, Emilia sonchifolia, Sophora alopecuroides, reed, yellow quail, willow, kapok, etc. The seeds of these plants are relatively light, and each seed has fluffy fibers or thin wings. As soon as the wind blows, you will start a trip. When it meets the right soil and climate, it will take root and sprout and grow into a new plant.

Animal transmission

Let's talk about plants that spread seeds by animal fur: Xanthium sibiricum, peach blossom, Bidens bipinnata, upside-down grass and so on. The seeds of these plants have barbs, which stick to people's clothes or animals' fur and are taken to far places to complete the spread of seeds.

Some plants also rely on animals to spread seeds: roller, nightshade, guava, watermelon and so on. They are sweet and delicious, attract animals to eat, and spread seeds through animal excrement.

The seeds spread by birds are mostly fleshy fruits, such as berries, drupes, hidden flowers and hidden fruits. Birds peck at the seeds of Lauraceae and spit them out. After the fruit is eaten, the seeds pass through the digestive tract and are excreted at will.

Ants usually play the role of secondary disseminators in seed transmission. Some birds eat and spread seeds, but they don't consume all the nutrients. Some nutrients will be left on the surface of seeds that fall to the ground for ants to eat. At this time, ants become second-hand communicators.

The spread of mammals mostly belongs to some medium and large fleshy fruits or dried fruits. Generally speaking, mammals are relatively large and need a lot of food, so they will choose some big fruits. For example, macaques like to eat the fruits of persimmons and bananas and help these plants spread. Pine nuts are spread by squirrels when they store winter grain.

Jet propagation

There are also some plants whose seeds spread by their own explosive power, such as fried sauce grass, impatiens, sesame, and most beans such as red beans and mung beans. These seeds usually have shells. When the seed matures, the fibers in the shell will be dehydrated and tightened, and the shell will burst and the seed will be ejected at the slightest sign of trouble.

Hydraulic propagation

Finally, let's talk about plants that spread seeds by water: coconut, lotus seed, Euryale ferox and so on. These plants generally grow near the water, and their seeds have hard shells. When it matures, it falls into the water, floats with the waves, and takes root after being washed to the shore.