In the rainforests of Central and South America, a tree uses explosions to reproduce, launching its seeds at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, according to biologists.
The species, known as the sandbox tree (Hura crepitans), fires its seeds when its fruit dries out and shatters. The sudden blast can be loud enough to startle animals and send seeds flying tens of meters away from the parent tree.
This unusual strategy solves a key problem plants face. Because plants are rooted in place, their seeds must travel far enough to avoid competition for light, water, and nutrients, as well as predators that gather near adult plants.
In dense rainforests, wind is weak and animals are unreliable dispersers. Researchers say the sandbox tree evolved a mechanical solution instead. Its fruit stores energy as it dries, much like a compressed spring.
The fruit is divided into wedge‑shaped segments. As moisture leaves the tissue, internal tension builds. Once the pressure becomes too great, the seams fail and the fruit bursts apart in milliseconds.
Studies show seeds are launched at an average speed of 96 miles per hour, with some reaching 156 miles per hour. That is faster than a professional baseball pitch and comparable to the speed of some air‑powered weapons.
Unlike animals, plants cannot move quickly using muscles or nerves. The sandbox tree relies entirely on geometry, material strength, and water loss to generate motion.
Biologists say this method is risky, because seeds are scattered blindly. But when it works, it allows seedlings to grow far from the parent tree, where survival chances are much higher.
Researchers view the sandbox tree as evidence that plants are far more mechanically sophisticated than they appear, using physics and evolution to solve problems without movement or behavior.
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