Some seeds we humans celebrate–we delightedly pluck them from pomegranates and crack open walnuts. (That would be nearly 200 feet, by the way.). These are but two facts I found in Seeing Seeds: A Journey into the World of Seedheads, Pods, and Fruit, where the humble seed gets all the glory.
When I first reached for the book, I knew to expect great things from photographer Robert Llewellyn, whose past work includes series volumes Seeing Flowers and Seeing Trees, but I was delighted to find the text by Teri Dunn Chace exceptionally well-researched and informative.
Humans grow chives for the hollow leaves, not the seeds.
Chives
Cotton
Although it’s a staple crop for humans, the author guesses that many people today would fail to recognize a cotton shrub before it blooms and goes to seed.
Peony
“The first time I saw a split-open, segmented peony seedpod, I recoiled,” says Dunn Chace, likening it to a tiny dragon protecting its valuable seeds. Unbeknownst to the plant, the seeds of many peonies are infertile–especially the plush-looking peonies favored as cut flowers.
Helleborus
The author advises gardeners to keep a careful eye out for hellebores at their seed-bearing stage–devoid of flowers but showing off blue-black seeds–which she calls “beautiful in its own right.”
Chinese Lantern
The bells of the Chinese lantern begin as small white five-lobed flowers in early summer before transforming into bright orange lanterns which protect the seeds nestled within.
Southern Magnolia
The conelike fruits of the Southern magnolia are “rather unique in the world of tree fruits.” Ripe red seeds fall out of their holding cells while remaining attached via tiny “umbilical cords,” allowing the seeds to dangle and be noticed.
Castor Bean
The castor bean is a fierce protector of its seeds, which contain ricin, commonly used as rat poison; one seed can kill a child and three will kill an adult. The seed has a very high oil content for which humans have managed to find uses, including motor oil and as a laxative.
Each pod of a morning glory contains up to eight dark seeds, which have an especially tough seed coat to delay germination until warm weather.
Morning Glory
Violets
The seeds of violets have several clever tactics: Once pollinated, former flower stalks bend down and form seed capsules under or within the leaves, safely out of view of predators.
“These pods take self-defense to a whole new level,” writes Dunn Chace of the screwbean mesquite.
Screwbean Mesquite
Photographer Robery Llewellyn’s studio where he created the photographs using a technique called “image stacking.” He takes photos from many slightly different angles, then stitches them together with software developed for miscroscopes.
Seeing Seeds from Timber Press is $20.62 on Amazon.