samaras
Helicopter seeds spinning
Samaras are winged seeds that spin as they fall, slowing their descent and carrying them away from the parent tree.
Maples produce the familiar paired samaras that children call helicopters or whirlybirds.
Ash, elm, and sycamore trees also produce samaras, though with varying wing shapes.
Closed one-seeded fruit
- pericarpMature ovary wall
- angiospermPlant producing flowers, fruits
- gymnospermExposed-seed plant
- ovaryFemale reproductive gland
fruit · propagation · dispersal · germination · pollination · fertilization · embryo · endosperm
Rotary-wing aircraft
- whirlybirdInformal term for helicopter
- spinnerThing that rotates
- autorotationSelf-sustaining rotor spin
- glideMove with effortless continuity
twirl · spiral · descend · flutter · drift · waft · airborne · float
Deciduous tree genus
- mapleSap-yielding hardwood tree
- ashCombustion's powdery remains
- elmGenus Ulmus tree
- tulip treeFlowering hardwood with lobed leaves
sycamore · box elder · sugar maple · Japanese maple · silver maple · ailanthus · hornbeam · linden
achene
Closed one-seeded fruit
- pericarpMature ovary wall
- angiospermPlant producing flowers, fruits
- gymnospermExposed-seed plant
ovary · fruit · propagation · dispersal · germination · pollination · fertilization · embryo · endosperm · cotyledon
helicopter
Rotary-wing aircraft
- whirlybirdInformal term for helicopter
- spinnerThing that rotates
- autorotationSelf-sustaining rotor spin
glide · twirl · spiral · descend · flutter · drift · waft · airborne · float · rotate
Acer
Deciduous tree genus
tulip tree · sycamore · box elder · sugar maple · Japanese maple · silver maple · ailanthus · hornbeam · linden · birch
wind
Air current outdoors
spread · airborne · carry · travel · distance · colonization · distribution · drift · waft · updraft