The Seediest Facts on the Web
Sunday
The largest seed in the world comes from the Coco-de-Mer, or “double coconut” tree, a long-lived tree which grows only on two islands in the Seychelles. This enormous seed, far larger than a coconut, weighs 33-66 lbs and rather resembles a human buttocks.
Monday
Earth’s smallest known seeds are from epiphytic orchids native to the rainforest, which produce seeds about the size of a dust particle. Six billion of these seeds weigh about one ounce.
Tuesday
Seeds disperse themselves by one of five methods: letting the wind carry them, letting water carry them, letting animals carry them (either on fur or in digestive tracts), gravity, or by “ballistic” dispersal, which involves a launching of the seeds by the plant.
Wednesday
There are many seed and food banks in the world to preserve crop varieties against disaster, but some are especially durable. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, aka the “Doomsday Vault,” preserves over 1.2 million seed samples from all over the planet and representing “13,000 years of agricultural history” as a protection from natural or man-made disasters.
Thursday
While plants can reproduce by seeds or spores, seeds evolved later and are comparatively hardier, with better protection from the elements and drought as well as a ready-made food supply inside.
Friday
The term “seed” appears in sports as a way of ranking, or, as one columnist put it, “planting individuals or teams into a competition.” This practice began in tennis as a way to keep it interesting by making sure the best players didn’t knock each other out early in a tournament, such that the best (or at least better) players were competing later and reducing the chance of blowouts in the finals. Later, this practice of ranking spread to basketball and other sports.
Saturday
The passing millennia may cause the end of most living things, but not all seeds. Modern scientists have planted 32,000 year-old seeds from the Arctic and 2,000 year-old seeds from the desert to see both grow in the modern era.