Fruit and Seeds pt. 3

Welcome to part 3 in the series exploring fruit, seeds, and leaves. I have been better at scale for these, and refining my process of photographing on the measuring tape (though my tape just broke). The common scale still remains a canadian quarter, which is 23.88 mm in diameter.
Making these guides has already been useful as I have been identifying particular seeds in scats already. It’s a joy to see the work come to fruition.

Grape (Vitis spp.)

Habitat of plant :

When is fruit ripe : Late September - October

Size of seed : 5-6 mm long

General description of seed : Triangular, almost conical with rounded bottom and flattened top. Seam running along the length.

Notes : Grape seeds are a source of oil, and extracts from seeds have been used medicinally for treatment of a number of diseases. Last image contains one Common Buckthorn seed (Rhamnus cathartica) on the left, and two Grape (Vitis spp.) seeds on the right. These were found in unknown bird scat.

Swamp (Silky) Dogwood (Cornus obliqua)

Habitat of plant : Low damp ground, along streams and marshes, ditches, thickets and open woods. Parklands along creeks and ponds.

When is fruit ripe : Late August - September

Size of seed : ~ 5 mm diameter.

General description of seed : Squat rounded seed with ridges striped along the top-down axis of the seed. Narrow point on top and bottom.

Notes : Swamp Dogwood was once considered a subspecies of Silky Dogwood (C. amomum) but has since been classified as their own distinct species.

Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

Habitat of plant : Moist open areas, forest trail sides, sandy dunes, open shores

When is fruit ripe : Late July - August.

Size of seed : ~ 3.5 mm diameter.

General description of seed : Pale rounded seed, with a flatter side and a point on the opposite side.

Notes : Seeds and fruit similar to other False Solomon’s Seals.

Nannyberry (Vibernum lentago)

Habitat of plant : Swamps, marshes, along edges of low woods and thickets. Suburban wetland recharge areas.

When is fruit ripe : August - October, but may remain on shrub into the winter.

Size of seed : ~ 8mm diameter.

General description of seed : Flat round/oval seed with faint ridge and point at one end.

Notes : Similar seed to a few other Vibernums.

If you want to see all of the previous entries check out the links below:

Part 1 : Glossy Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica), Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus var.)

Part 2 : Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternafolia), Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

Part 3 : Grape (Vitis spp.), Swamp (Silky) Dogwood (Cornus obliqua), Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum), Nannyberry (Vibernum lentago)

Part 4 : Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus vitaceae)

Part 5 : Black Currant (Ribes nigrum), Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)