Pelargonium laevigatum fruit and seed

Some fruits of these Pelargonium laevigatum umbels have reached the stage of separation for their maiden (and only) voyage, referred to as wind dispersal. Most of them are still cohering inside the covering provided by the calyx as they ripen. Colour change from green to beige shows progress in the ripening process.

One small, dry seed dangling precariously from the tip of its awn is showing how the feathered tail of each seed coils into a spiral. Wind will carry this turning corkscrew effectively to a new life, away from the parent plant (Find your own spot, child and make us proud!).

On the ground the corkscrew action continues, drilling to bury the seed; too large for being a nanoplough, but still doing its micro-agricultural thing (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Moriarty, 1997; www.plantzafrica.com).