A legendary palm grows on the beautiful islands of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The world’s largest and heaviest seeds are produced by Lodoicea maldivica, also known as the double coconut or coco-de-mer. Scientists, tourists, and poachers are drawn to these spectacular seeds due to their suggestive shape, hefty weight of up to 25 kilograms, and length of up to fifty centimeters.
Is Mustard seed the smallest?
Tiny seed even smaller than mustard’s “The kingdom of heaven is comparable to a mustard seed that a farmer sowed in his field. It is the tiniest of all seeds, but when it matures, it is larger than all the garden plants and grows into a tree where birds of the air build their nests.” According to Matthew 13:31–32’s “Parable of the Mustard Seed,” mustard seeds are the smallest in the plant kingdom.
Right? Wrong. Compared to orchid seeds, mustard seeds, which are about 2 millimeters in diameter, are enormous. The majority of orchid seeds are smaller than a salt grain. Consider the dazzling lady’s-slipper orchid, which is our state flower. This plant’s seeds are roughly 0.1 by 0.03 millimeters in size, which is more than 20 times smaller than mustard seeds.
If an attractive lady’s-slipper seed were the size of a golf ball, then a mustard seed would be about the size of an extra-large fitness ball, or slightly more than 3 feet in diameter. On the opposite end of the seed size spectrum, the coco-de-mer or double coconut holds the record for the largest seed.
Its seeds are more than a foot long. Compared to an orchid seed the size of a golf ball, coco-de-mer seeds are as large as a hot air balloon. Due to their diminutive size, orchid seeds can be transported over great distances by air currents. This allows them to colonize widely separated habitats with relative ease.
Wind is an extraordinarily effective means of seed dispersal. In 1883, for instance, four species of orchids were among the first plants to recolonize Krakatoa, even though the nearest source of seeds was 400 kilometers away. There are two disadvantages to small seeds.
- First, with so little space inside the seed coat, there is little room for the seedling to store nutrients after germination.
- After germination, orchid seedlings face imminent starvation.
- To solve this issue, orchids must form a partnership with a soil fungus that infects the seedling’s cells and satisfies its nutritional requirements.
Without the fungus, the seeds will not germinate and will perish. Small seeds leave little room for the embryonic plant itself, which is a second problem. Unlike the embryos of other plants, orchids lack roots and shoots. As a result, when an orchid seed germinates, it forms an undifferentiated egg-shaped structure known as a protocorm that lacks roots and shoots.
- The protocorm of the showy lady’s-slipper, nourished by its nursemaid fungus, remains underground for two or more years before producing its first leaf.
- This is similar to how kangaroos and other marsupials are born prematurely and complete their development in their mother’s pouch.
- It is acceptable that the Gospel of Matthew does not recognize that orchids have the smallest seeds in the world.
This document was never intended to serve as a scientific guide to seed size. Professor of biology at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University and director of the CSB/SJU Bailey Herbarium and Melancon Greenhouse Stephen G. Saupe holds this view.
What makes a mustard seed so unique?
Cultural references – The mustard seed is frequently used as a metaphor for something small or insignificant in world literature, including religious texts. Jesus relates the Parable of the Mustard Seed to faith and the Kingdom of God in the Bible. There, according to Jesus, “The kingdom of heaven is comparable to a mustard seed, which is the tiniest seed on earth.
- However, when planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants, with branches so large that birds can perch in its shade.” A story of Gautama Buddha from the fifth century B.C.
- Contains references to mustard seeds in India.
- Buddha narrated the tale of Kisa Gotami, a grieving mother, and a mustard seed.
When a mother loses her only son, she brings his body to the Buddha in an attempt to find a cure. The Buddha requests that she bring mustard seeds from a family that has never lost a child, spouse, parent, or close friend. When she is unable to find such a home in her village, the mother realizes that death is universal and that she cannot be selfish in her grief.
Jewish texts compare the observable universe to a mustard seed to illustrate the insignificance of the world and to teach humility. In the Quran, the mustard seed is mentioned: “And on the Day of Resurrection, We balance the scales of justice, so that no soul will be treated unjustly. And if it weighs as much as a mustard seed, We will produce it.
And We are sufficient as accountants (21:47) “According to the Hadith, Muhammad stated that a person whose pride weighs as much as a mustard seed would not enter paradise.
Do mustard seeds actually become trees?
The Cumin Seed New Era, February 2013, p.34–35, “The Mustard Seed.” Learn more about the tiny seed with the enormous reputation. hand with mustard seed affixed to a finger Plant name: black mustard ( Sinapis nigra or Brassica nigra ) Type of plant: annual dicotyledon The average seed size is 1–2 millimeters (about .05 inch) The average height of the plant is 1–2 meters (about 3–6 feet), but under certain conditions it can reach heights of 3–5 meters (about 10–15 feet) and widths of the same proportion.
- In Jesus’ day, it was common for people to compare something to a mustard seed to imply that it was extremely minute.
- The mustard plant is quite common in the Near East and is often considered a weed because its tiny seeds can spread so rapidly and widely.
- When the conditions are favorable, mustard plants can become quite large.
However, they do not develop the typical tree characteristics of trunks, bark, and large branches. Frequently, seeds were ground into powder, paste, or oil for use in medicinal (poultices and plasters) or culinary applications (pickling spice, cooking oil, and condiments).
The Romans gave mustard its name and popularized its use as a condiment by combining freshly pressed grape juice with the powder made from ground mustard seeds. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: “Which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it grows, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make their nests in its branches.
Mustard seeds: Are tiny. Both in Jesus’ day and in the latter days, the kingdom of heaven (Christ’s Church) emerged from humble beginnings. Can quickly and widely disseminate. As we share the gospel with others and the Holy Spirit bears witness to them that it is true, the Church of Jesus Christ will continue to grow until it reaches its destiny of filling the entire earth.
- Can attain unusually large sizes.
- When Christ says that the mustard seed will become a tree, He is describing a unique phenomenon that can occur with a mustard plant under certain conditions: it can grow into a large bush that resembles a tree.
- Likewise for the Church.
- The Church has been restored and will fulfill its mission of preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Savior, despite its obscure beginnings and the unique blessings, authority, and power of God.
The Restored Church Is Spreading Outwards “This figure represents the Church as it will emerge in the latter days. “Let us take the Book of Mormon; let us behold it emerging from the earth, which is indeed regarded as the least of all seeds, but behold it branching forth, yea, even towering with lofty branches and God-like majesty, until it, like the mustard seed, becomes the greatest of all herbs.
