Explain the method of seed dispersal in the following plants.
(a) Cotton and pine
(b) Xanthium and plum
(c) Lotus and coconut

Explanation

(a) The seeds of cotton possess a tuft of fine hair which make them light and they are carried away by wind. In case of pine, the fruits or seeds develop flat, wing-like structures and are carried away by wind.
(b) The seeds of Xanthium possess hooks and spines which stick to our clothes and to the bodies of the animals. The fruits of plum are eaten by humans and birds and they get dispersed at faraway places after the fleshy parts are eaten.
(c) Lotus is a water plant and the fruits oflotus float pn water. The seeds liberated in water are carried away by the water currents to long distances. The coconut plants are grown on the sea coasts. The fibrous fruits fall in the water and the seeds are liberated in water These seeds are carried away by the water currents to long distances.