Samara (fruit)
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}}
A samara (Template:IPAc-en, Template:Small Template:IPAc-en)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> is a winged achene,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit, and is indehiscent (not opening along a seam). The shape of a samara enables the wind to carry the seed further away from the tree than regular seeds would go,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and is thus a form of anemochory.
In some cases the seed is in the centre of the wing, as in the elms (genus Ulmus), the hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), and the bushwillows (genus Combretum). In other cases the seed is on one side, with the wing extending to the other side, making the seed autorotate as it falls, as in the maples (genus Acer) and ash trees (genus Fraxinus).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
There are also single-wing samara such as mahogany (genus Swietenia) which have a shape that enables fluttering.
Some species that normally produce paired samaras, such as Acer pseudoplatanus, can also produce them in groups of three or four.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- TripleSycamoreSamara.png
Unusual group of three samaras of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus. Normally, they are in pairs.)
- Starr 040601-0006 Fraxinus uhdei.jpg
Seeds of the tropical ash (Fraxinus uhdei)
- Ptelea trifoliata 20050606 635 part.jpg
The hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata)
- Ulmus-pumila-samaras.jpg
The Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)
In cultureEdit
A samara is sometimes called a key<ref name=":0" /> and is often referred to as a wingnut, helicopter, whirlybird, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the autumn months, they are a popular source of amusement for people that enjoy tossing them in the air and watching them spin to the ground.
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
- Spinning Flight : Dynamics of Frisbees, Boomerangs, Samaras and Skipping Stones, Ralph Lorenz, Copernicus New York, September 2006 Template:ISBN