Ballistic dispersal uses force to launch seeds away from the parent plant. Active force happens when the seed pod dries out. The drying causes tension, constricting the seeds inside the pod. Once ...

Do you know how to tell if a plant is a popper? A dropper? Or a plopper? Come learn about the amazing ways that different plants disperse their seeds throughout nature. Join the Forest Preserve ...

Chris Roh and his 4-year-old daughter have developed a sweet father-daughter ritual: Whenever they see a fluffy dandelion while they’re out walking, they pick up the flower and blow on it. But Roh is ...

The shrub-like plant Rhynchotechum discolor produces fruit that are difficult to see from above but suitable for ground-dwelling insects. However, seed dispersal by insects was previously thought to ...

Take a look at squirting cucumber explosive seed dispersal in real time and slowed down. Credit: Helen Gorges/CC BY-NC-ND One doesn’t normally associate ballistics with botany, but most of us don’t ...

Members of the witch hazel family can fling heavier seeds just as fast as lighter ones, thanks to their spring-loaded fruits. DURHAM, N.C. -- If you happened upon a witch hazel plant in the forest, ...

Fruit exist to invite animals to disperse the swallowed seeds. A research team found that plants targeting insects rather than birds or mammals for this service are more common than previously thought ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- If you happened upon a witch hazel plant in the forest, you might describe it as a sweet-smelling shrub with crinkly ribbon-like petals. But to Duke University graduate student Justin ...