Explosive Plants

 

Ze Frank's True Facts series is almost always about animals, but now he's veered into the world of plants. See, plants reproduce by making seeds, but keeping your offspring close by when you are rooted in the ground can get way too crowded. Plants have developed a lot of different methods of spreading their seeds far and wide. Being carried off or eaten by animals is a valid method, but throwing them out by explosive force is a lot more fun to watch. It's such a useful way to spread the next generation to new soil that many species have developed this power independently, and in many fascinating forms, from spring-loaded seeds to seeds that are designed to move around on their own and even dig their own holes! Meanwhile, Ze Frank has fun providing the sound effects for the explosions, and giggling at plant names like sphagnum, hairy wild petunia, and squirting cucumber. Some things never change. This video has a one-minute skippable ad at 3:15.