[snip]
>What would you say was the original means of dispersal for seeds/fruit of
the
>Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), also known as Bois d'Arc and Horse Apple?
>We are dealing with a large (ca. 1 kilo) fruit to about 10 cm in diameter.
>They are green (not a bird-attractive color) and full of a sticky, milky
sap.
[snip] a
>friend swears she has seen a horse eat one, the vast majority of these
things
>seem to drop right under the tree and decay. [snip]
When I took woody plants at U of Michigan, I was told they were dispersed
by wild horses. I recall that they were stuck to horses hooves and dispersed
after they were trampled, not through ingestion. I also recall the instructor
mentioning a baseball player (you know--the Wild Horse of the Osage). Taking
the baseball allusion a step further, they do make great projectiles for batting
practice. A few good homeruns, and those babys are gonna be dispersed pretty
well.
I didn't know whether to believe this story or not, until I heard the about
how Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple) is pollinated by turtles.....
Have a good Thanksgiving, and don't eat any mayapple pie!
Doug Jensen
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To: plant-ed at net.bio.net
From: fictitious at alias.incognito.myob (ima pseudonym)
Subject: Re: Agent of distribution--Maclura
Date: 27 Nov 1996 00:29:23 GMT
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