July 24, 2020
Mountain Mahogany Seed Tail
Here is a mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) seed tail at 40x magnification. The hairs on the seed tail presumably keep the seed in the air longer so as to increase the distance the wind can blow it from the plant. The seed tail, originally part of the flower's stigma, curls into a corkscrew shape as it matures, as yet another way to increase the distance of wind powered travel, and to drive the seed into the soil.
Equipment used: AmScope M150C microscope with Raspberry Pi camera module V2 (8MP).
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