Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-06-04
WINGED SEEDS.


without the Aid of Man.
The terrible eruption OF Krakatoa, in
the Sunda strait, in 1883, furnished the
opportunity for illustrating the ease
with which nature can replant with veg
etable life a district that has become
completely isolated. The volcanic erup-
ton was one of the most destructive
recorded In history, the loss of human
life being estimated TO exceed 100000.
OF the IS volcanoes on and near the
Island of Java 26 were in violent erup-
tion at the same time. The center
OF disturbance was the island volcano
of krakatoa, which emitted molten lava
and burning ashes in such abundance
that every living thing, whether animal
or vegetable, on the island was de-
stroyed, and an observer from a ship
which approached close to the land de-
clared that the whole island was red
hot. Four years from the date of the
eruption the island was visited by an
eminent naturalist, who found that the
ashes and lava had cooled to such an
extent as to permit the beginnings Of
vegetable life, and on making a closer
examination he discovered that DUR
ing the brief space of four years nature
had stocked the island with 246 differ
ent kinds of plants.
There are many seeds which seem, by
their formation, to be specially de-
signed for transmission though the air,
and of these several are quite as good
illustrations as the thistle. The seed
of the common Il opJa1;O, n ,,Iort a. -
seen on every common, has wings which
will carry it away on the slightest
breath of air. The wings are very
slight filaments, radiating backward
from the seed, SO that, when the latter
finally lodges. it falls tip first, in the
most favorable position for taking root.
Country children in the United States
often find amusement i'm blowing the
seed from the stalk and watching to
see how far they will go before falling
70 the ground, but whenever there is
even moderate breeze the experiment
is uniformly n failure, as the flcecy seed
fly out of sight and are gone in an in
stnat, and the next season dandelion
springs up in somebody's lawn, where
the plant was never seen before. The
common tumble weed is another exam
pie OF the winged seed. The plant
grows in a woolly bunch, which, when
dred, is easily separated from the
stalk, and light breeze sets the ball
rolling over the ground, to scatter it's
seed wherever 1t goes.
The seeds of many ferns and micro
scopic plants are SO constructed as to
be readily lifted and carried away by
the wind, while some of considerable
rize are provided with an elaborate ar.
rangement for aerial transportation.
The common maple is an example of the
last kind, for projecting from its large
head is a membrane closely resembling
IN size, shape and general appearance
the wing of the locust. When the seed
70 separated from the tree, even if the
air be quite still, it does not fall direct
~ to the earth, but, by it's peculiar con-
ftrnction, acquires in falling q spiral
motion that takes it several feet from
beneath the starting point, and when
brisk breeze is blowing one of these
winged seeds has been known to twirl
through the air for six miles before its
journey came to an end and il sank tn
the ground, there to terminate and
start maple grove.-St. Louis Globe.
Democrat.