Feathery hairs on the top of a plant seed, SEM

False-coloured scanning electron micrograph of feathery hairs on the top of a seed. Plant seeds are dispersed by different methods including wind, water, animals and fire. Seeds with feathery bristles like this are dispersed by the wind, to carry them far enough away from the parent plant to increase their chances of landing in a place suitable for growth without directly competing with the parent plant. Width of image is 2.5 mm.