All mysteries
Mystery #4Tier 2biology / plants

How do seeds travel away from the parent plant?

A dandelion clock falls apart in the wind and its seeds drift away like tiny parachutes. A sticky burr hitches a ride on a dog. Plants can't move, yet their seeds turn up far and wide. How do seeds travel, when the plant that made them is rooted to the spot?

A close-up of a fluffy seed head, each seed carrying a feathery parachute ready to be carried away on the wind.
Photo: MacrofyStudio, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What's your hunch about how seeds get away from the plant they grew on, when the plant can't move?

There's no single magic word to type, have a go in your own words, then reveal the answer to see how close you got.

Make a guess to unlock the hints and the answer.