After spending months researching the carpological collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Levon selected just over one hundred striking samples to be featured in this book, The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits. Captioned with scientific text that provides the backstory for each specimen, The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits is guaranteed to amaze, entertain, and educate.

What becomes clearly apparent through Levon’s botanical images is the mechanical and structural adaptations plants utilise in their bid to reproduce. Seed dispersal is a crucial process that allows plants to spread their offspring over a wide area, reducing competition and increasing the chances of survival. Here are the main methods of seed dispersal:

Animal dispersal - Zoochory is the dispersal of seeds and fruits by animals. This method plays a crucial role in the life cycles of many plants, allowing them to spread their offspring over a wide area. There are two main methods of zoochory:

• Endozoochory: Seeds are ingested by animals and later excreted. This often occurs when animals eat fruits containing seeds.

• Epizoochory: Seeds attach to the fur or feathers of animals and are carried to new locations.

Water dispersal - Hydrochory is the dispersal of seeds and fruits by water. This method allows plants, particularly those near aquatic environments, to spread their offspring effectively over distances. Seeds adapted for water dispersal often have features that enable them to float and travel on water surfaces. These adaptations may include:

• Buoyant Structures: Seeds can have air-filled cavities or spongy tissues that help them stay afloat.

• Shape: Many hydrochorous seeds are often oval or rounded, which aids in buoyancy.

Wind dispersal - Anemochory refers to the dispersal of seeds and fruits by wind. This method allows plants to spread their seeds over large distances, which can be crucial for their survival and colonization of new areas. Seed adaptations for anemochory include:

• Lightweight Structure: Many seeds are small and light, allowing them to be easily carried by the wind.

• Wings or Parachutes: Some seeds have wing-like structures or tufted hairs that enable them to glide or float in the air.

• Shape: Seeds are often shaped to catch the wind effectively, enhancing their ability to travel.

Animal dispersal - Autochory refers to the dispersal of seeds and fruits by the parent plant itself. Unlike other methods of dispersal that involve external agents (like wind, water, or animals), autochory relies on mechanisms within the plant to spread its seeds.

• Fruit Ripening: Fruits mature and split open, releasing seeds directly onto the ground.

• Gravity: Seeds simply drop from the plant due to their weight.

• Seed Pods: Certain plants have pods that dry out and burst open, flinging seeds away from the parent.

• Mechanical Structures: Some species have unique adaptations that help propel their seeds when conditions are right.

The historic carpology collection is held within the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The herbarium houses more than three million specimens of dried plants collected from all over the world, covering a period of over three hundred years.

Herbaria such as the one in Edinburgh, by acting as “libraries” of plant material, have been crucial in helping us determine which plants will grow where and how we can differentiate them.

Now faced with the twin challenges of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, researchers are using the herbarium specimens in new ways to understand and address these threats to our planet.