Samara
/səˈmɛrə/
Definition
Samara refers to a dry, one-seeded fruit with a flattened wing formed from the fruit wall. It does not split open at maturity, unlike many pods or capsules. The wing helps the fruit travel on air currents, aiding seed dispersal. Samaras occur in several trees, including maples, ashes, and elms, though the exact shape and whether fruits occur singly or in pairs vary by species.
Function in Plants
- Wind-assisted dispersal: A samara helps a seed travel away from the parent plant, reducing crowding and competition for light, water, and nutrients.
- Common in key tree groups: This fruit type is well known in maples, ashes, and elms, where its form can help botanists and gardeners recognize a plant even outside the flowering season.
- Variation aids identification: The size, shape, and arrangement of a samara differ among species. In maples, paired units are a useful clue for identification.
- Propagation timing: For growers, noticing when a samara matures can help with seed collection. Viability and dormancy, a resting period before germination, vary by species.
Related Terms
Fruit
Fruit, in botany, is the mature ovary of a flower, sometimes with nearby tissues attached, that develops after…
Seed
Seed is a plant structure formed after fertilization that contains a young plant embryo, stored food, and a protective…
Pericarp
Pericarp refers to the wall of a fruit that develops from the ovary wall after fertilization. It is a plant structure…
Ovary
Ovary refers to the enlarged basal part of a flower’s pistil, or female reproductive structure, that contains one or…
Ovule
Ovule is the seed-producing structure inside a flower’s ovary, or on the scales of cones in gymnosperms. It contains…
Placenta
Placenta refers to the tissue inside a flower’s ovary where one or more ovules are attached. It is a plant structure…
Placentation
Placentation describes the arrangement of ovules inside a flower’s ovary and the way they are attached to the placenta…
Fertilization
Fertilization in plants refers to the biological process in which a male gamete from pollen fuses with a female gamete…