"Pansies: does the name have a story?" - Elizaveta Muromskaya. Why are pansies so called?

Why are flowers called " pansies"? And why are Natasha's eyes worse?

An. eyes

Ancient Greeks origin an. the eye was associated with Io, the daughter of the king of Argos, who fell in love with Zeus with all her heart, for which her jealous wife, the goddess Hera, was turned into a cow. In order to somehow brighten up the life of his beloved, Zeus grew flowers "an. Eyes", which symbolized the love triangle and, on the one hand, equated a mere mortal with the goddess, and on the other hand, preserved in her the belief that the curse of Hera is not eternal.

Another ancient Greek legend associated these flowers with the goddess Aphrodite. One day, Aphrodite, bathing in a grotto where the human eye was not supposed to penetrate, heard a rustle and saw that several mortals were looking at her. In anger, the goddess asked Zeus to punish the daring, and he turned them into flowers, the appearance of which expresses curiosity and surprise.

The Germans call this plant "stepmother" and made up a touching story about these flowers. The lower petal of the flower, it was told, is the largest and most beautiful - this is the stepmother. Two lateral ones - smaller, but also beautiful - are her own daughters. And the top two - the smallest, modestly colored - poorly dressed stepdaughters. According to legend, the stepmother used to be upstairs and offended the poor stepdaughters a lot. The good wizard punished her and turned the flower so that the stepdaughters were on top and the stepmother was on the bottom. As a punishment for an evil temper, the wizard gave her stepmother a hated spur, and her daughters a mustache (dark lines on the petals).

There is a legend telling that in an. An overly curious girl Anyuta, who peeped at someone else's life and interpreted it in her own way, turned her eyes.

From time immemorial, Poles and Belarusians call them "brothers" for the fact that several multi-colored petals coexist in one corolla of a flower, and they give them only to those whom they love in a brotherly way.

In Poland, the bride gave an. the eyes of the departing groom, and then they symbolized eternal memory and fidelity to the giver; the same was expressed by a bouquet of flowers over the window of the house of a French woman whose fiancé was away.

In England an. until recently, eyes were used to declare love: it was enough to send this flower and write your name, no more words were required.

The fact is that since the 16th century, in the floral symbolism of many European countries, an. eyes began to serve as a symbol of thoughtfulness, fidelity, wisdom. They began to be called "thought", "thought". An. eyes were even credited with the ability to bewitch love. On Valentine's Day, lovers sent these flowers as a symbol of recognition of a feeling that was kept secret until then. Therefore, in England an. eyes are also called "cordial calm", or "cordial joy".

According to the legends of the Slavic peoples, in the tricolor petals an. peephole reflected three periods of the life of the girl Anyuta with good heart and trusting radiant eyes. She lived in the village, believed every word, found an excuse for every deed. But, to her misfortune, she met an insidious seducer who, with oath assurances, awakened the first feeling in the girl. With all her heart, with her whole life, Anyuta reached out to the young man, and the young man was frightened: he hurried on the road on urgent matters, promising his chosen one to return without fail. Anyuta looked at the road for a long time, waiting for her beloved, and quietly faded away from melancholy. And when she died, flowers appeared at the place of her burial, an. eyes, in the tricolor petals of which hope, surprise and sadness are reflected: in corollas White color- the color of hope, yellow - surprise, purple - sadness.

By the way, the origin of the Russian name for these flowers is unknown, although in Russia, in addition to the name "an. Eyes", this flower is also called a three-flowered, half-flowered, and scrofula. And all the names are accurate.

For example, the scrofula flower is nicknamed because it has long been in folk medicine used tea from this plant to treat scrofula in children. And the tricolor is called due to the fact that the flower has really white, yellow and purple petals. Yes, and botanists call an. eyes with tricolor violet, or viola.

In ancient times, it was believed that pansies are a magical plant. Therefore, some magical properties were attributed to him. For example, there was a belief that with their help you can bewitch your loved one. To do this, it was necessary to squeeze juice out of a charming flower, and then sprinkle the things of a lover with it while he was sleeping. And when he wakes up, he will love the one he sees first. The story that tells why it was called so is also interesting. But first things first.

Description

Many people have heard this beautiful name- pansies. The description of the plant will attract the attention of any girl. Small flowers have a tricolor color. Many grow the plant as an annual, although it is a perennial belonging to the class of violets. They grow up to 15-20 cm in length. Their stems are very thin and fragile, so the flower needs good care. Leaves oblong, hairy. Usually the color of the plant is purple with different shades. Many people love this wonderful flower because it growing season lasts for almost six months. It begins to bloom in late April, and the flowers appear before the onset of the first frost. Fruit ripening occurs in June. After that, seeds are scattered from them. If you grow a plant from seeds, then it will be an annual. The flower is also used in medicine. Particularly useful is Bottom part- grass.

Name

Quite interesting is the legend explaining why pansies were so named. Although there are currently several versions. Let's consider each of them.

folk customs

As you know, all myths, legends and beliefs were created on the basis of historical data. Of course, this information was somewhat embellished, but it had a real origin. An interesting story about pansies, which existed in Roman circles at the end of the 1st millennium. According to legend, men who peeped into a flower were turned into a flower. Customs and traditions are also associated with this plant. different peoples. For example, in Poland, girls gave this flower to their beloved if they left for a long time. In general, this violet has long symbolized fidelity and chastity. In France, they were presented for a long memory. But in England this flower long time was the best gift on February 14th.

Other names

In the Middle Ages, the role of pansies increased markedly. They are called the flower of St. Trinity. In Poland they are called brothers. This is due to the fact that several flowers “live” together in one flower, so they are given to those who are loved as a brother. In Russia, they are also called tri-flowers, scrofula, etc. In Germany, the plant is simply called “stepmother”.

Growing violets

Pansies, the description of which is presented above, need painstaking care. Therefore, it is not recommended to give such a flower if the recipient himself did not ask to buy it. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to take care of the plant to the fullest.

So, what do pansies love? How to grow it? Few people know about it. Basically, there are only two ways. Flowers can be planted directly in the ground or seedlings can be grown first, which will then be transferred to the soil. If seeds were not collected last year, then in early spring small sprouts may appear in the same place. Violets reproduce well by self-sowing, but this way they will grow chaotically. In addition, it can lead to over-pollination of the plant. That is, it will change the color, size, shape of the petals. Therefore, it is recommended to plant flowers of different colors at some distance from each other. Otherwise, it will not be possible to maintain the purity of the variety. Do you want to collect seeds? Then you need to choose plants with the most large flowers. After that, you should wait until the boxes turn yellow. It is necessary to have time to collect the seeds before the boxes open.

Our grandmothers, growing strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, were not particularly worried about mulching. But today this agricultural practice has become fundamental in achieving High Quality berries and reduce crop losses. Some might say it's troublesome. But practice shows that labor costs in this case pay off handsomely. In this article, we invite you to get acquainted with the nine the best materials for mulching garden strawberries.

Succulents are very versatile. Despite the fact that “kids” have always been considered more fashionable, the assortment of succulents with which you can decorate modern interior, it is worth taking a closer look. After all, colors, sizes, patterns, degree of pricklyness, influence on the interior are just a few of the parameters by which you can choose them. In this article, we will talk about the five most fashionable succulents that surprisingly transform modern interiors.

Mint was used by the Egyptians as far back as 1.5 thousand years BC. It has a strong aroma due to the high content of various essential oils with high volatility. Today, mint is used in medicine, perfumery, cosmetology, winemaking, cooking, ornamental gardening, in the confectionery industry. In this article, we will consider the most interesting varieties of mint, and also talk about the features of growing this plant in open ground.

People began to grow crocuses 500 years before the advent of our era. Although the presence of these flowers in the garden is fleeting, we always look forward to the return of the heralds of spring next year. Crocuses - one of the earliest primroses, whose flowering begins as soon as the snow melts. However, the timing of flowering may vary depending on the species and varieties. This article focuses on the earliest varieties of crocuses that bloom in late March and early April.

Shchi from early young cabbage in beef broth is hearty, fragrant and easy to prepare. In this recipe, you will learn how to cook delicious beef broth and cook light cabbage soup with this broth. Early cabbage cooks quickly, so it is placed in the pan at the same time as the rest of the vegetables, unlike autumn cabbage, which takes a little longer to cook. Ready cabbage soup can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Real cabbage soup is tastier than freshly cooked.

Blueberries - a rare promising berry culture in the gardens. Blueberries are a source of biologically active substances and vitamins, have antiscorbutic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, tonic properties. Berries contain vitamins C, E, A, flavonoids, anthocyanins, trace elements - zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, as well as plant hormones - phytoestrogens. The taste of blueberries resembles a mixture of grapes and blueberries.

Looking at the variety of varieties of tomatoes, it is difficult not to get confused - the choice is very wide today. Even experienced gardeners he is annoying sometimes! However, it is not so difficult to understand the basics of selecting varieties “for yourself”. The main thing is to understand the peculiarities of culture and start experimenting. One of the easiest tomato groups to grow are varieties and hybrids with limited growth. They have always been appreciated by those gardeners who do not have much time and energy to care for the beds.

Once very popular under the name of room nettle, and then forgotten by everyone, coleuses today are one of the brightest garden and indoor plants. They are not in vain considered stars of the first magnitude for those who are looking primarily for non-standard colors. Easy to grow, but not so undemanding as to suit everyone, coleus require constant supervision. But if you take care of them, bushes of velvety unique leaves will easily outshine any competitor.

Salmon backbone baked in Provence herbs is a “supplier” of delicious pieces of fish pulp for a light salad with fresh wild garlic leaves. Mushrooms are lightly fried in olive oil, and then poured over apple cider vinegar. Such mushrooms are tastier than ordinary pickled ones, and they are better suited for baked fish. Ramson and fresh dill coexist perfectly in one salad, emphasizing the flavor of each other. Garlic sharpness of wild garlic will saturate both the flesh of salmon and pieces of mushrooms.

Conifer tree or a shrub on the site is always great, and a lot of conifers is even better. Emerald needles of various shades decorate the garden at any time of the year, and phytoncides and essential oils, secreted by plants, not only flavor, but also make the air cleaner. Generally, most zoned adults coniferous plants, are considered very unpretentious trees and shrubs. But young seedlings are much more capricious and require competent care and attention.

Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the shade flowering trees have long been an integral attribute of the meeting of spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. The financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when magnificent cherry blossoms bloom. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese pass under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain types can be successfully grown even in Siberia.

It is very interesting for me to analyze how people's tastes and preferences for certain foods have changed over the centuries. What was once considered tasty and traded lost its value over time and, conversely, new fruit crops conquered their markets. Quince has been cultivated for more than 4 thousand years! And even in the 1st century BC. e. about 6 varieties of quince were known and even then the methods of its reproduction and cultivation were described.

Make your family happy and make themed Easter egg-shaped cottage cheese cookies! Your children will be happy to take part in the process - they will sift the flour, combine all the necessary ingredients, knead the dough and cut out intricate figures. Then they will watch with admiration how the pieces of dough turn into real Easter eggs, and then with the same enthusiasm they will eat them with milk or tea. How to make such original cookies for Easter, read in our step by step recipe!

There are not so many decorative and deciduous favorites among tuberous crops. And the caladium is a true star among the variegated inhabitants of the interiors. Not everyone can decide to start a Caladium. This plant is demanding, and first of all - to care. But still, the rumors about the unusual capriciousness of the Caladium never justify. Attention and care allow you to avoid any difficulties when growing caladiums. And a plant can almost always forgive small mistakes.

We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply elementary dish for you today. This gravy is one hundred percent universal, as it will suit every side dish: vegetables, pasta, and anything. Gravy with chicken and mushrooms will save you in moments when there is no time or you don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Grab your favorite side dish (you can make this ahead of time to keep it hot), add gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

In spring, in many gardens, the pansy flower, pleasing to the eye with a variety of colors, blooms. Legends and beliefs of different nations tell a lot interesting stories about the origin and name of these plants. Let's get to know them too.

flower description

Five delicate, often purple-yellow-white-blue, petals are located on a branched stem about twenty centimeters high and resemble hearts in shape. Large, surprisingly on the plant replace each other from spring to mid-summer. Such a colorful carpet is literally mesmerizing.

Legends and beliefs about pansies give different interpretation their appearance. Many of the species bred today are hybrids obtained by crossing their wild progenitors with A. The first results of such selection appeared as early as the 16th century at the court of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel. Today it is one of the most common garden flowers. Violet (viola) tricolor, pansies, brothers, Ivan da Marya - these are the most common names for this beautiful plant.

Russian legend about pansies

Lived kind, trusting, pure in heart young woman. Once she met a guy who came to their village. Anyuta fell in love young man believed in his sincerity. And before leaving, he promised to return and take her with him. Every day a girl went out on the road and waited for her beloved, but she never appeared. It all ended tragically: the girl withered away from melancholy and died. And on her grave they grew amazing plants with tricolor petals. According to the people, their coloring corresponds to different periods Anyuta's life. symbolizes the heroine's hope for reciprocity and happiness at the very beginning of the relationship. Yellow - surprise that the groom does not come for a long time. Violet - sadness, the collapse of all dreams and death.

This legend about the pansy flower has other variations. The first says that a rich young man was married against his will to another, and the girl died of pain and grief. According to the second - the beloved went to war and died there. And Anyuta eventually turned into a flower, which still continues to wait for the sweet one by the road.

The story of brothers

Belarusians, Ukrainians and Poles have their own version of the origin of the pansy flower. The legends and beliefs of these peoples are also somewhat different, but their essence is in the sinful love of a brother and sister. The most touching is the story related to the time of the Turkish raids.

The conquering army attacked the Ukrainian village and captured civilians. Next to a beautiful black-browed girl, bursting into tears, rode a young Janissary. He liked the captive, and he supported her all the way. And then he offered to run away, promising to return her to her homeland and marry. During one of the halts, they managed to accomplish their plan. And after they became close, the Janissary told the story of his life. That he was born in the same place where his girlfriend's house was. What else was a child captured. That his father was a blacksmith, and a pear tree grew next to the house and a stream raged. Then the girl realized that the Janissary was her missing older brother, and burst into tears. They realized what a sin they had committed, and that happiness is now impossible. Young people turned into beautiful flowers, which the people began to lovingly call brothers.

Myths about Aphrodite and Venus

Long ago, the gods played a big role in people's lives. Faith in their superpowers magic power, the ability to intervene in earthly life gave rise to many interesting stories. Among them is the legend of pansy flowers, which explains why the plant has such a shape.

Beautiful Aphrodite decided to swim on a hot day. And though she chose sheltered from prying eyes pond, soon noticed that a whole crowd of people were admiringly watching her. The indignant goddess turned to Zeus with a request to punish those who dared to do such an act. But the Thunderer that day was in good mood and therefore simply turned the curious into flowers.

The ancient Romans have a similar myth about how men spied on Venus bathing. All of them suffered the same fate.

By the way, this legend about the pansy plant echoes a common story in which an ordinary earthly woman turned her gaze to what was banned. The punishment for her was the transformation into a flower, which actually resembles a human face in color.

And from all these stories, another follows symbolic meaning pansies - curiosity.

Jupiter love myth

Another ancient Roman legend about pansies is also interesting.

One day, Jupiter descended to earth and, under the guise of a shepherd, went to the temple of Juno. Among other girls, he noticed the daughter of the king of Argos - Io, who performed the sacrifice. Proud and impregnable, she immediately conquered God and herself was imbued with feelings for him. But soon Juno found out about the secret meetings, and Jupiter, fearing for the life of his beloved, turned the girl into a white cow. Now she spent whole days, unrecognized by anyone, walking around the palace in Argos. Finally, Io found a way to explain to the king who she really is. Watching the suffering of his father and daughter, Jupiter turned to the goddess of the earth for help. She gave the girl an incredibly beautiful and tasty flower. And its coloring has become a symbol of the emerging love triangle.

This is one of the most common versions of the fate of Princess Io. A similar myth, again, can be found among the ancient Greeks. There, the girl who was carried away by Zeus was punished by Hera.

German pansy legend

This is a story about an evil stepmother. She is associated with the unusual. According to legend, there lived an evil stepmother - she is symbolized by the lower petal. The biggest and most beautiful. The woman had two native daughters - these are the middle petals. Well, as in any folk tale, all the troubles fell on the unfortunate stepdaughters. Therefore, the upper petals on the flower are the smallest and faded. But this is not the end of the legend. It goes on to say that originally the large petal was on top and the symbols of the stepdaughters were on the bottom. In order to somehow punish the evil stepmother and make life easier for orphans, God turned the flower over. As a result, sharp spurs appeared next to the stepmother. And her beloved daughters got not very attractive mustaches. So the legend of pansies became an expression of people's sympathy for the grief and suffering of orphans.

The power of suggestion

If any pansy legend given here most often raises doubts about its reliability, then the traditions that have developed on their basis are taken for granted by many. For example, until recently in Russia there was an opinion that this is a plant of the dead, because its place is not in the garden, but on the grave. For the same reason, the French in our time never give a bouquet of white pansies.

An interesting find was found in a Trappist monastery that operated in the Middle Ages. On its wall, the artist depicted a pansy flower and a dead head nearby, while making an eloquent inscription: "Remember death."

But still, in most cases, this plant has an optimistic meaning and symbolizes true love. So, in England, it was customary to give pansies to a loved one on Valentine's Day. In France, they are still used for divination by the betrothed. And in Poland, this way of love spell has been preserved: to sprinkle the juice of a flower on the eyes of a sleeping young man and appear before him at the moment of his awakening.

Thus, in many countries, the popular folk legend of pansies has given rise to various prejudices and beliefs, some of which are still valid today.

It's curious

Each legend about pansies for children given here will be very interesting and informative. Besides, in people's memory stored and real facts about a wonderful flower. So, in France, pansies were given the name pensee, which means "thought, thought." Many attribute this to the structure of the seed box, which, by the way, scatter over distances several times the size of the plant itself.

AT Christian world pansies are sometimes called a flower Indeed, if you look closely, at the base of the petals you can see a triangle - a symbol of God's all-seeing eye. And the rays departing from it are supposedly the faces of the Trinity.

Pansies were Josephine's favorite flower. In history, they are also known as the emblem of the Napoleonic dynasty.

Dried pansy flowers are often used in medical treatment as they contain a lot of salicylic acid.

PANSIES (lat. Viola tricolor). "Viola" in translation into Russian means "blue". Folk names: pansy, brother-and-sister, field brothers, moths, half-flower, three-flower, etc. Symbolize fidelity, devotion and wisdom. And they are also a symbol of spring. bloom in the meadows among the first after the snow melts.

There are many legends about the origin of their name. According to an old belief, the girl Anyuta was turned into a flower for her excessive curiosity about someone else's life. And in Roman mythology, the gods turned men into pansies, who secretly spied on the bathing goddess of love - Venus.

In Rus', in different variations, there was a legend that the girl Anyuta turned into this flower because of love. According to one version, she was in love with a young man, and he reciprocated her. But his parents forced him to marry a rich girl. On the day of their wedding, Anyuta could not stand it and died of grief and strong love.

According to another legend, Anyuta turned into a flower after for long years waiting for the groom who went to war, but never returned. So the pansies are standing by the road, with the hope of "peering" into the distance.

There is another, sadder option. In one village lived a kind and trusting Anyuta. To her misfortune, a handsome young man came to this village, with whom she fell in love. And he turned out to be a liar. He promised to return for Anyuta, but he left and forgot about her. She waited, she waited for her beloved, and she withered and died from longing. On her grave, in memory of strong love, blossomed beautiful flowers like her blue eyes. The tricolor petals reflected the whole story of the girl's short life. White is hope mutual love, yellow expresses surprise at the act of a loved one, and purple - sadness and collapsed hopes for happiness. They called those flowers pansies.

In all variants the name is the same. It can be seen that a similar story really happened once and shocked people so much that the memory of it has been preserved for centuries in the name of a flower.

For medieval Christians, pansies are the flower of the Holy Trinity. dark spot in the center personified the all-seeing eye of God the Father, and the diverging rays - the radiance emanating from it. The vertices of the triangle symbolized the three faces of the Holy Trinity.

In Belarus and Ukraine, pansies are called brothers. There are several legends about the origin of this name, similar in plot.

Belarusian tells about a guy and a girl who fell in love with each other, not knowing that they were brother and sister. When the lovers found out about this, then, horrified by what had happened, but unable to part, they decided to die, not wanting to live in sin. They went into the dense forest, but the animals did not touch them, and the earth did not accept them. Then they turned into unusual flowers that bloomed both blue and blue at the same time. yellow. People called those flowers "brothers".

But the Ukrainian legend. There once lived a brother Ivanko and a sister Maryanka. The family was happy and friendly. But an unexpected misfortune came - the father went to defend his native land from enemies, and did not return. And soon, from longing for her husband, her mother also died. Little children were left as orphans. But found kind people. First, the neighbors took them to their place, and then the married sisters took them to another village and became their parents.

Although Ivanko and Maryanka lived in different families, they were always together: the sisters' houses were nearby. Over time, love came to them. Foster parents found out about this and forbade them to meet. But where there, lovers and hours could not live without each other. In order to circumvent the ban, they came up with a secret "alphabet" - to hang a colored shred over the Maryanka window.

If white, Ivanko knows: “I'm at home, but my parents are angry. Don't come today. Meet me in the evening at the old willow." If yellow, then: “Things are very bad. Don't show your parents! We'll meet tomorrow at the spring." The good news was reported by a blue patch: “Nobody at home! Come, I'm waiting!"

But soon the parents figured out their secret signals and, after consulting, told them the truth. That they are not their own children, but the guy and the girl themselves are brother and sister, and therefore they cannot be loved. But they could not even think about separation, and, having seized the moment, they fled to a neighboring village and secretly got married there. And so that no one could ever separate them, they turned into a beautiful flower with multi-colored petals. So they were taught by an old soothsayer, to whom they revealed their secret.

Let's go, sister, with yars, let's scatter with flowers.

Oh you will Blue colour and I'll be yellow.

People will pick flowers, they will remove sins from us

sung in an old Ukrainian song. Yes, but she didn’t teach the fortuneteller how to become people again. They stayed forever beautiful flower, which people, in memory of strong love, called brothers.

And another legend on the same topic. The Turks attacked their native land, the villagers fought for a long time, but the forces were unequal. The infidels captured a large crowd. Among the prisoners, a black-browed girl went to a foreign land, watering her traces with tears. A young Janissary was riding a horse nearby and did not take his eyes off her, could not stop admiring her beauty, on occasion, secretly threw food to her. And she singled him out among the wild horde, and why, she herself did not know, her heart somehow sank.

We stopped for the night. And even earlier, he spoke to a Janissary girl in her native language. He persuaded her to escape, promised to love forever and marry if they were lucky enough to return to Ukraine, and she agreed. When, tired from the road, the infidels, like those sheep, fell asleep on the slope, the Janissary threw Turkish clothes on the girl, and they happily slipped out of the camp.

They ran with all their might, knocked their legs to the blood, but the desire of will gave them strength. Fearing the chase, they hid in dense thickets. Fatigue led them to sweet dream. He hugged the Janissary beauty, kissed her. She did not mind and the girl became the wife of a Janissary.

They told each other about themselves. The Janissaries told her that the Turks had seized him as a child, recalled what his native village looked like, a hut over a fast stream, a tall pear at the gate, a forge. The girl listened to him, sobbed heavily: “We committed the most terrible sin with you. You are my older brother. Let the damned enemies die, because of them all this. May heaven incinerate our sinful souls.” And they turned into beautiful flowers, which people called brothers.

It must be borne in mind that similar legends in some places tell about another flower - Ivan da Marya, who is also called brothers there.

There are many beliefs associated with pansies. It used to be thought that they were not suitable for flower beds, because they are "flowers of the dead", they are often planted on graves even now.

Since ancient times, pansies have been attributed the property of bewitching love. According to one of the beliefs, one has only to sprinkle their juice on the eyelids of the sleeping desired and wait for him to wake up and be the first to see you - eternal love guaranteed. True, it is not so easy to fulfill these conditions.

The girl, whose lover is a sailor, had to, when he went on a long voyage, bury sea sand in a flower bed with pansies and water them until sunrise. Then, according to legend, he will think about her all the time at sea.

Pansies are remarkable not only for their beauty. They belong to a rather unusual group of plants called ballistas (from the Greek "ballo" - "throw"). Ripe boxes of pansies, similar to lanterns, rise and open in three boats. The valves, drying up, squeeze the seeds out, as if shooting, throwing them out like small projectiles. They scatter over a distance much greater than the size of the flower itself.