How is jacaranda seed is despersed?

Answer 1

While I'm no botanist, I am working with poinciana and jacaranda seedlings. Through observation, I can give you what I believe is an exceptionally sound opinion based on a number of different observed facts.

1. The Jacaranda creates roundish seed pods as your zone'd weather begins to warm. These pods start out closed, hanging like odd little wooden ornaments. Over time, between moisture, rising temperatures, then drying, these pods split open while still on the tree, or they fall to the ground where they appear like a slightly opened clam.

2. Inside these pods are anywhere from 20-50 or more seeds with a super fine paper like substance surrounding the harder wood of the seed.

3. Once they are partially opened while still on the tree, or once they hit the ground, the seeds are very very light and in a windy day, the seeds will either be blown out and around. On the ground, these pods generally get fragile quicker and will fall into two halves where again, the seeds are moved by the wind.

4. As for substantial distances, I can't say how, as I don't suspect birds would eat them, though maybe in their natural habitat they do, but even still, based on what I've seen of their growing habits, I doubt that a seed would remain viable if eaten, digested and excreted....but maybe others know better.

5. It's possible on a windy day for these seeds to be carried or tumble a good distance depending on where they are released, and assuming they don't come to rest against something that will cause them to stop moving.

6. The other method is that the super fine papery like "wings" stick to animals paws if stepped on or they can simply land on the back of a mammal and eventually come to rest where they do.

7. As for how they found their way from their indigenous location to the many non-native locations that you find these trees today....it's like every other non-native plant...it either traveled in an agriculture or livestock shipment, or were deliberately collected for transplant as I did (from around the corner :).

The seed coats are a bit tough, but I found that unlike the poinciana, which will never sprout unless the SUPER hard casing is stratified or nicked followed by a good deal of water absorption into the casing, these seeds simply need soil and moisture to sprout and as best I can tell they have no trouble germinating once properly placed. I soaked 20 seeds in tap water overnight, planted two each in a 10 segment seedling tray and after keeping the soil fairly moist with only limited indirect sun exposure, and temps above 75-90 during the day and mid 50's to 60's at night, I had 19 of the 20 germinate, and I suspect the only reason I didn't have 100% was because I found one of the seeds next to the pod (not in soil) and only just now placed it back in the soil two days ago. I full expect to see this seed germinate in another 10 days or so...

Probably a little more in depth than you were interested in, but I thought I'd share. :-)