All,
A short time ago someone referred to white appendages(I forget the exact wording) attached to seeds of N. cyclamineus.
This is common and I remembered that these were strophioles but I wanted to check the spelling and precise definition.
It’s amazing how one question leads to another! These notes are with apologies to the professional botanists in our midst.
I found that :-
a strophiole – is a crest like escrescence about the hilum of certain seeds, a caruncle.
a hilum – is the scar on a seed, such as a bean, indicating the point of attachmentto the funiculus
a caruncle – in Latin – a wart. In Botany, an eliasome – (a fleshy structure attached to a seed)
a funiculus in botany is a stalk connectiog an ovule or a seed with the placenta
eliasomes – are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species and are rich is lipids and proteins designed to attract ants which consume the eliasomes and then deposit the seeds in their rich and fertile refuse deposits so encouraging the seed to germinate
a placenta – in botanical terms is the part within the ovary of the flowering plant to which the ovules,
– ultimately seeds if fertilised, are attached.
So, I guess the person who poster the question that prompted this response wishes they had never asked!
But I’ve learnt! I just thought those little strophioles were simple attachments/connectors – it never occurred to me that they may attract ants and aid dispersal of seed. How deep do the ants bury the seed?
Does this throw into question the assertions of some that to sow shallow is natural because that is where the seeds fall naturally – but maybe the ants bury them quite deep???
So thanks for the question – and I hope the pictures provide much food for thought – and for the ants!
Brian
Brian,
Thanks for the photos and the wonderful botany lesson. I appreciate your work to help educate us.
Dave Liedlich
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Wow! It’s another rainy day here in Minnesota so can’t work outside, but you really got my mind working, Brian! Fascinating stuff – I never thought ants had anything to do with seed planting before! Ethel Smith in MN
I am glad you are having a rainy day. Extremely interesting and thought provoking information.
Thanks
By the way have you seen the latest news today about Oklahoma City’s weather? Thankful our home is on a high spot
Sandy
David,
It seems like a win win situation! The ants got the eliasomes and you got the seeds – each of you using sharp pincers! I’ve been tweezering spilled seed in the last few days – it’s ripening faster than I can collect it at present!!
So many seeds – so little time!
Brian
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