Seeds: Time Capsules of Life

Science News,  Feb 17, 2007  

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SEEDS: Time Capsules of Life

ROB KESSELER AND WOLFGANG STUPPY

Plants have evolved over the past 600 million years to propagate all corners of Earth. Much of this capacity stems from the attributes of seeds.

They're remarkable because they lie dormant, waiting for the right conditions under which to sprout and produce the next generation. In this visually arresting book, Kesseler, an artist, and Stuppy, a seed morphologist, pay homage to the seed and its resilience. Seeds themselves come in diverse forms, from the 20-kilogram Seychelles nut to the feather-light dandelion parachute. The authors review seed evolution and sexual reproduction, the coevolution of plants and pollinating insects, and the fertilization techniques of angiosperms. Throughout, brilliant photos and electron micrographs provide up-close images of intricate structures. Kesseler also looks at how seed and plant structures are reflected in architecture, and he details how the images in this book were created. Firefly, 2006, 264 p., color images, hardcover, $60.00.

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