Mass and Terminal Velocity of a falling Crepis vesicaria L. Seed

Abstract

The seed of the Crepis vesicaria L. plant has evolved a fuzzy disc at one end to aid in wind dispersal. The mass of a seed was varied and its terminal velocity was determined using video analysis. It was shown that the terminal velocity is proportional to the 0.62 power of the mass of the seed. It was further shown that the behavior of the seed can be effectively modeled as a solid disc experiencing airflow in the transition region between laminar and turbulent flow.