Certain epiphytic orchids of the tropical rain forest produce the world's smallest seeds, up to 35 million per ounce. Seeds that travel by wind must be lightweight. Some of these seeds have wings, like the maple seed. Some have gone 32 miles  on a windy day. Another flying seed is the dandelion and it gets planted because ants carry the seeds down into their hole.

Need Fire
The Jack pine and Northern Pine need fire to germinate.Heat and smoke are needed to crack the seed to allow in moisture for germination. Seeds in cones are protected behind resin coated scales. Although technically not a fruit, California's coulter pine has one of the largest pine cones on earth. Of all the more than 100 species of pines in the world, this is one of the most massive cones. They may be up to 14 inches (36 cm) long and weigh more than 10 pounds (4.5 kg).

Hitchhikers.
Hitchhiking might be illegal where you live, but it has proved a great method for plants to get around. Animals' feet spread some seeds. Charles Darwin once grew 80 plants from the mud he scraped off a bird's foot.  The hitchhikers are built with spikes. Some seeds have a sticky substance that makes them stick to animals. Then they travel to another place to grow.

Exploding sacks.
Some plants have sacks that explode. The squirting cucumber bursts open and shoot its seeds up to 8m (27')away from the parent plant. The seeds zoom off and may travel as fast as 100 kph (62mph)

Underground fruit.
Most of us are familiar with sunflowers seeds as a snack food, but did you realise when you eat peanuts you are also eating a seed. The peanut is unusual because it flowers above the ground,but fruits below the ground.

Very large pods
The world's largest bean pods come from woody vines native to the rain forests of the Old and New World tropics. The largest species is called the sea heart and the pods may be 5 feet (1.5 m) long. The woody, heart-shaped seeds are carried by torrential rains into rivers and eventually into the sea where they often drift to the shores of distant continents and islands.

Extremely large seeds.
The undisputed world's largest seed cones are produced by tropical cycads. The largest cones are three feet (0.9 m) long and weigh up to 95 pounds (45 kg).

The world's largest seed comes from the coco-de-mer palm, native to the Seychelles Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Although it belongs to a different genus from true coconut palms (Cocos), this enormous seed is often called the "double coconut." A single seed may be 12 inches (30 cm) long, nearly three feet (0.9 m) in circumference and weigh 40 pounds (18 kg).

Rubber trees have small inconspicuous flowers. The seeds are akin to castor beans. On ripening, the fruit capsule explodes and propels the seeds away from the tree.

Rice
Cultivated rice is generally considered a semi-aquatic annual grass. It is produced all around the globe from Nepal, which has the highest ricelands in the word, to Australia which has the most productive rice lands. I have seen rice growing in the fields of Bali and will always value it as an inexpensive food, taken for granted before I knew what was involved in production.

Feature Article Seeds Some seeds must geminate within a few weeks, others may live for hundreds of years in the soil. The average life of a seed is 10 - 15 years. Just as plant life is very diverse, so are seeds and their methods of dispersal. Some are hitchhikers, some use water, some use air and others use animals and insects. Whatever you pay for a seed, if you get a healthy plant, it is worth it. A pumpkin or squash seed can cost you 10c if you buy a package of 20 seeds for $2.00. In six months that seed can produce a fruit / vegetable that weighs 317 - 408 kgs.(700 - 900 lbs.) The record pumpkin weighed in at 606 kgs. (1337 lbs.)   Gravity and weight being a factor, the largest tree fruit is the Jack fruit. When ripe it weighs in at 34 kgs. (75lbs) and can be .9m in length (nearly 3') Probably not a good place to sit and enjoy the shade. Not even a hard hat would protect you from falling fruit.   Consider the Coconut. It was designed to be dispersed by water. The seed is inside a hard shell and provided with everything it needs for a long journey, It has air spaces that make it buoyant, a strong fabric on the outside to prevent water damage and enable it to travel thousands of kilometers. It does not germinate until it reaches land. A very useful adaptation.   Bananas. The tree does produce flowers, but this is not how bananas create the next crop. This is done by suckers that grow into a new banana tree that flower and fruit. A fully-grown bunch can weigh 36.2kgs. (80 lbs.)   100 year flowers. Bamboo. All seeds and plants imported to the USA require two-year quarantine. Bamboo spreads through its root system. It only makes flowers and seeds on rare occasions. In some cases it may be 100 years or more between flowering. In direct contrast to this slow rate, some bamboo can grow 24 - 36 inches in 24 hours It would be very alarming if we found out that scientists were toying with the idea of combining lawn grass seed and bamboo genetics.   Orchids. It does not surprise me that they have extraordinary seeds. In nature, the probability of an orchid seed finding a suitable place for germination and a compatible fungal partner are unlikely, so millions of air borne seeds are released to increase the odds. It takes from six months to one year for a seed capsule to mature. It is not uncommon for the capsule to contain 10,000  to 100,000 seeds. Some may contain as many as 3,000,000 seeds. Orchid seeds are very transparent and very small, tiny specs,at times barely visible to the human eye. Certain epiphytic orchids of the tropical rain forest produce the world's smallest seeds, up to 35 million per ounce. Seeds that travel by wind must be lightweight. Some of these seeds have wings, like the maple seed. Some have gone 32 miles on a windy day. Another flying seed is the dandelion and it gets planted because ants carry the seeds down into their hole.   Need Fire The Jack pine and Northern Pine need fire to germinate.Heat and smoke are needed to crack the seed to allow in moisture for germination. Seeds in cones are protected behind resin coated scales. Although technically not a fruit, California's coulter pine has one of the largest pine cones on earth. Of all the more than 100 species of pines in the world, this is one of the most massive cones. They may be up to 14 inches (36 cm) long and weigh more than 10 pounds (4.5 kg).   Hitchhikers. Hitchhiking might be illegal where you live, but it has proved a great method for plants to get around. Animals' feet spread some seeds. Charles Darwin once grew 80 plants from the mud he scraped off a bird's foot. The hitchhikers are built with spikes. Some seeds have a sticky substance that makes them stick to animals. Then they travel to another place to grow.   Exploding sacks. Some plants have sacks that explode. The squirting cucumber bursts open and shoot its seeds up to 8m (27')away from the parent plant. The seeds zoom off and may travel as fast as 100 kph (62mph)   Underground fruit. Most of us are familiar with sunflowers seeds as a snack food, but did you realise when you eat peanuts you are also eating a seed. The peanut is unusual because it flowers above the ground,but fruits below the ground.   Very large pods The world's largest bean pods come from woody vines native to the rain forests of the Old and New World tropics. The largest species is called the sea heart and the pods may be 5 feet (1.5 m) long. The woody, heart-shaped seeds are carried by torrential rains into rivers and eventually into the sea where they often drift to the shores of distant continents and islands.   Extremely large seeds. The undisputed world's largest seed cones are produced by tropical cycads. The largest cones are three feet (0.9 m) long and weigh up to 95 pounds (45 kg).   The world's largest seed comes from the coco-de-mer palm, native to the Seychelles Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Although it belongs to a different genus from true coconut palms (Cocos), this enormous seed is often called the "double coconut." A single seed may be 12 inches (30 cm) long, nearly three feet (0.9 m) in circumference and weigh 40 pounds (18 kg).   Rubber trees have small inconspicuous flowers. The seeds are akin to castor beans. On ripening, the fruit capsule explodes and propels the seeds away from the tree.   Rice Cultivated rice is generally considered a semi-aquatic annual grass. It is produced all around the globe from Nepal, which has the highest ricelands in the word, to Australia which has the most productive rice lands. I have seen rice growing in the fields of Bali and will always value it as an inexpensive food, taken for granted before I knew what was involved in production. 3) Sites for more information http://www.riceweb.org/geography.htm http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/orchidhs.html http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0601.htm#fruit 4) Reader Feedback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I really do enjoy hearing from readers. Thank you so much for taking the time to contact me. 5) Did You Know Quick Fact / Question It takes the stigmas of about 4,000 flowers (crocus) to obtain one ounce of saffron powder. Saffron is used in cooking as a dye and in medicines, Does anyone know about Quongdongs? 6) Gifts and Goodies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F*REE Text Ad to over 900,000 Valued Readers Get your business in front of prospects F*REE Please use "Did You Know newsletter" as Your Referrer http://subscribeme.net/index.html   Michelle Rayburn   This is for USA only. If any of you know of a Canadian version, please let me know.  http://www.abcfree.com A place to find what you're looking for without having to buy it. Or, if you want to give something away to somebody that really needs it, this is the place to post it. The site lets users give and get all kinds of stuff for free. (From The Frugal Life News http://www.thefrugallife.com)   http://writesuccess.com/writesuccess_archives.htm Great resource for writers. Editor Mary Anne Hahn   Still paying full price for things online? Check out iCop's new Coupon Club! http://www.i-Cop.org/coupons/   Simply click the "Fund Free Mammograms" button at The Breast Cancer Site ( http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/BCSreminderW ) to help provide free mammograms to underprivileged women.   Recommended Ezines and sites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to Linda Locke's.... "MLMWOMAN NEWSLETTER http://www.mlmwoman.com/issue96.htm Great articles, helpful information http://annamarketing.com/login.php Anna-Marie Stewart http://www.answers.com   www.creativehomecomputing.com Carols Creative Home Computing site. Very helpful. Lots of good information The Homestead Store and More........ For a little bit of Alaska and a lot of the Northwest, drop by for a visit! http://www.homesteadline.com   This a great way to check the content of your emails and newsletters for spam http://www.lyris.com/contentchecker/