A seed of mistletoe (Viscum album) on an apple tree. The seed is encased in a membranous coat (white),and was glued to the bark by the sticky fluid that surrounded it when it was in the berry. This fluid has dried to produce a firm bond between the seed and the bark of the tree. Within a day,a hypocotyl (green,2mm long) emerged from the right of the seed. Its bulbous tip is in close contact with the bark,and over a period of months,will develop a root (a "sinker") that will penetrate the interior of the branch. V. album is parasitic on a variety of trees. Its seeds are dispersed by birds. Some species eat the berries and spread the seeds in their droppings; others wipe the sticky seed from their beak without ingesting it. The seed here was placed on the branch by hand | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Burgess, Dr. Jeremy |
Bildgröße: | 5212 px × 3468 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |