Book 17, Question 81
Why Are Orchid Seeds as Tiny as Dust?
Orchid seeds are as tiny as dust so the wind can carry them far away! One seed pod can hold millions of seeds. Making so many tiny seeds gives a few of them a chance to land in just the right spot.
More fun facts
- Orchid seeds are tiny because they carry no stored food.
- Most are less than a millimeter across.
- Some are as small as the largest fungus spores, about 100 micrometers.
- Unlike most seeds, they do not hold the food they need to sprout.
- Vanilla seeds have a flat blade, like a maple seed wing, to sail on the wind.
Sources: Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
How small are orchid seeds?
Most are smaller than a millimeter, like specks of dust.