Whitchurch and Llandaff Living Issue 68

nature
What's
that seed?
As summer fades away for another year,
here's how you can identify the different
types of trees from the seeds that lay
scattered at their feet
6 1. OAK TREE
An acorn usually contains one seed within a
leathery shell, which sits within a small cupule. It
can take anywhere between 8 to 24 months for
an acorn to mature and they rely on small animals
such as squirrels for dispersal.
8 2. SILVER BIRCH
Silver Birch is a pretty tree, often referred to as
the 'Lady of the Woods'. The seeds are dispersed
by the wind when the female catkins begin to
disintegrate. They are tiny nutlets with two wings
and can travel on the wind up to one mile from the
parent tree.
65 3. SPRUCE TREES
Spruce tree seeds grow in cones, but unlike the wider,
woodier pine cones, spruce cones have thinner scales,
which makes them more flexible. They are also longer
and thinner than pine cones, The cones protect the
seeds contained inside and open to release them when
conditions are right for germination.
6 4. HORSE CHESTNUT
With their spiky cases, and shiny, mahoganylike
seeds, the horse chestnut seeds are often
sought out by children to play conkers on the
school playgrounds. Historically, horse chestnut
seed extract was used for joint pain, bladder and
gastrointestinal problems, fever, leg cramps, and
other conditions.
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