“Transformation comes from within and seeds have mastered the art.”
– Scott Chaskey
Angiosperms, flowering plants, and gymnosperms, cone-bearing plants, are the two groups of plants that produce seeds. Angiosperms usually produce a fruit. Both groups reproduce sexually and most flowers contain both the male and female reproductive structures. The male reproductive part is the stamen, which consists of the anther and the filament. The anther produces pollen and the filament acts as a support structure. Pollen spreads to the female reproductive structure through wind, insects, or other animals.
The female reproductive structure, the pistil, has three parts – the stigma, the style, and the ovary. The stigma is the sticky top of the pistil where the pollen attaches. The male pollen sticks to the female stigma and travels through the pollen tube, the style, to the female ovary where the ovules, or eggs are stored. The pollen unites with the ovules, a process referred to as pollination, and an embryo forms within a seed. The seed protects and nourishes the embryo. The ovary develops into a fruit, the structure that encloses and protects a seed.
As nature’s suitcase, seeds cradle, protect, and nourish a young embryo. Seeds vary in size, shape, and color. They are as diverse as the plants that emerge from their tightly closed cases. Sometimes dispersed by wind, water, and animals, embryos packed tightly in their seed suitcases can travel near and far, landing in new lands to germinate, take root, and grow.
We also begin as a small embryo growing deep within the protective seed of our mother’s womb, surrounded by a cushion of amniotic fluid and nourished by our mother through the placenta. At birth and as young children, we continue to receive nourishment and protection from our parents or other caregivers. We begin to germinate in our sun-lit spot of Earth. We grow, become centered and rooted, learn our boundaries and how to turn our face toward the sun to feed our soul. We weather heat and drought, building resilience with each disturbance. If we lack the protection and nourishment, our germination and growth is slow and disrupted. We struggle to discover the light and wither in the face of disruptions. We fail to thrive, grow, and blossom. Life is a struggle.
As unique as the seeds and growing instructions of various plants, we, as humans, must embrace our uniqueness and individual direction toward cultivating our self-awareness and growing our most abundant, fruitful life. The people in our circle who surround, support, and protect us provide a safe haven that nourishes our tender self physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They give us time to grow our roots strong in the place where we find ourselves. In building strong, trusting, loving relationships, we can focus on turning towards the light and blossoming into our best self.
For those of you in the Richmond, VA area, I am facilitating a workshop on Wednesday evening, February 26, 2020 in the Beet Cafe at Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market. The following link includes the details and registration. We will be exploring our connection to nature and the uniqueness of seeds. Hope to see you there! https://ellwoodthompsons.com/events/horticulture-therapy-2-26/