Samara (fruit) facts for kids

vine maple (Acer circinatum)

samara of Combretum zeyheri

Seeds of the tropical ash (Fraxinus uhdei)

A samara is an achene, a type of dry winged botanical fruit. The shape of a samara enables the wind to carry the seed farther away than regular seeds from the parent tree:

• The seed can be in the centre of the wing, like the elms and the hoptree.
• The seed can be on one side, with the wing extending to the other side, making the seed self rotate it falls.

• Ralph Lorenz 2006. Spinning flight: dynamics of frisbees, boomerangs, samaras and skipping stones, , Copernicus New York. ISBN: 0-387-30779-6

Images for kids

• 

  Unusual group of three samaras of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus. Normally, they are in pairs.)

• 

  The hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata)

• 

  The Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

See also

In Spanish: Sámara (fruto) para niños