This year I grew a squirting cucumber, I've read about them, and always wanted to see them,in the flesh, so to speak.
My daughter, Jasmin,is doing about plants in her school work this autumn, and had homework about seeds, and seed dispersal, so I suggested she'd like to take this plant in to class, as there was a seed pod nearly ready on it.
I went out into the garden to get the plant ready for her to take the next day, just moved it a fraction!!...and whooshhhh........ it took off like a rocket.It shot upwards somewhere, towards the roof...we never found the seed pod.
I had heard that these things exploded, but this was something else....
Just as well she didn't get it into the classroom, I can't begin to think what her teacher would have made of this thing exploding in her room,probably covering her classmates in seeds and jelly...the mind boggles.
Flying missiles!!....
LOL sounds quite disgusting sue. Its amazing the power seeds have when being expelled. When I was a very green collector of hardy geranium seed one year I diligently put all the seedcapsules individually labelled on pieces of paper to dry in the sun of the conservatory. Then imagine my surprise when a few hours later I can back to find the seeds had disappeared!!! LOL
Even a tiny hg seed can expel itself a good 2o feet away even without the aid of wind or anything else!
Another good one is euphorbias,I kept those in a tray in my sunlounge,only to find when I was sat in it later that all these seeds were pinging all over the place.
i first came across squirting cucumbers on Crete and have been rather fond of them ever since. Found them on my recent trip to France too :)
It's was quite amusing sitting in my Mum's garden when the Alstromeria seeds were ripe - until she decided it was better to dead head the flowers lol. They can reach yards away too!
I was lunching in a pub garden the other day and my friend and I were startled by sudden gunfire........turned out to be the broom *G*
(Not the one used for sweeping the yard ;)
I used to have a Eurphorbia (dont know the actual name but single stem first year then branched in the second) which had pods that had a loud crack when they exploded.
one of my fondest childhood memories was of popping the exploding pods of the Indian balsam. Not so fond now as there is alot of it perolously close to my allotments!! :O