Nature's wonders knows no bounds. Nature has all imaginable kinds of non-living and living things; be it air, land or water; be it day or night. Of the life forms I believe plant life is versatile than animal life. Plant life lasts longer, alive or dead. Here are some plant parts which continue to amaze the human senses after they cease to live. Unlike most plant parts which just drop down without fanfare these parts gracefully spin down and land gently. So far I've come across three types, there could be many more.. I've marked them as A, B and C.
B. This is twin-wing seed of a plant called Twanpani, its a Kannada name. I've seen this plant on the rocky hills of northern districts of Karnataka. The one seen here was picked up from Anegundi fort on Rushyamukha Betta. The plant is delicate, has silvery stems and branches, grows to an height of 15 to 18 feet. These seeds can be found in bunches of 5 to 10. Green in color when tender and darken as they age. This seed when thrown high in the air spins down rapidly, as though its in a hurry.
C. Commonly found in cities you might have seen this uni-wing seed; seed end is heavy while the wing-end is almost weightless. About 25 to 30 such winged seeds are tightly packed into a thick shelled pod. When dry enough the shell splits itself into three equal parts. The tree which produces this grows to heights of 30 to 40 feet; has a straight stem and branches high above the ground. Dark green leaves which shed during December and January. I cannot recall the flower's color though. As a kid I and my brother would bring these seeds home and play with them until our arms ached.
While researching name of the trees I stumbled on an interesting article on rotating seeds- Autorotating seeds: to fly or to die. Do read it. Then I stumbled on another interesting website- Landmark Trees of India, You must see the amazing trees we are unaware of. Namoh Nature.
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