ケヤキの果実

例会で訪れた宝ヶ池の芝地には、ケヤキの着果短枝が沢山落ちていました。樹木の蒴果は、果実を遠くに飛ばす戦略として、種子に翼を付けるものがあります。カエデやユリノキなどがそうです。翼を持たない蒴果の播種戦略のうち、母木の枝に付いた状態で、枝ごと母木から離れて飛ぶものを着果短枝と呼びます。身近に見る樹木としてはケヤキの木が代表的です。母が自らの身を裂いて、子孫を残そうとする．．．と考えるのは、若干センチメンタルでしょうか。

On the lawn of Takaragaike, where we visited for our regular excursion, there were many short branches of Keyaki (Zelkova serrata) trees that had fallen. Some trees attach wings to their seeds as a strategy to make the fruit fly farther. This is the case with maple trees and lily-of-the-valley trees. Among the strategies of non-winged achene seeds, there are those that are attached to the branch of the mother tree and fly away with the piece of branch. The action is called "short branching". The Zelkova tree is a typical example of this type of tree that we see around us. It may be a bit sentimental to think that the mother is trying to tear herself for the survival of her offsprings.

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Photo 2021-10-11