![]() ![]() Whirling maple seeds can travel many hundreds of yards/meters in the breeze. The whirling slows the seeds' descent, allowing more time for the wind to disperse them. This is the advantage that maple seeds have. The longer a seed can stay airborne, the greater the chance that it will blow farther from its parent, spreading the species and helping ensure survival. But outside air is seldom completely still. On a perfectly windless day, a maple seed would twirl straight down and land directly below where it started. In contrast, seeds that disperse help ensure that the species continues to propagate and survive. The seedlings would compete with the mother tree and each other for sunlight, moisture, and other resources. If their seeds have no means of transport, they would germinate directly underneath the mother tree. ![]() Why is it advantageous for maple seeds to spin? It spins rapidly like a helicopter rotor, slowing the seed's descent. While the seed-pair hangs in the tree, it continues to dry and the crack gets wider. Then, the two seeds break apart and twirl down singly as opposed to in pairs.įind a single winged maple seed (or break one off of a pair) and toss it into the air. You will see a crack forming between the two seeds. Does it spin down? No, it drops like a stone.īut look closely at a brown, dried seed-pair. Spoiler alert: If you want to experiment on your own, skip this section!įind a winged seed-pair from a maple and toss it up into the air. Many other Pacific NW trees have winged seeds, but only maple seeds grow as winged pairs. When looking at maple seeds, you first notice that they have wings. (The word "samara" is the technical term for a winged seed.)Īt the same time, you notice that maple seeds grow in pairs. A vine maple seed is about half that size, at 1"/2.5cm long.īigleaf maple seeds are attached together at an acute angle of 45° to 90°. Vine maple seeds are attached together at almost 180°. On the right are vine maple ( Acer circinatum) seeds, which may grow near each other but not in bunches.Ī single bigleaf maple seed is about 2"/5cm long. ![]() On the left are bigleaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum) seeds, which grow in large bunches. ![]()
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