Advertisement
Opinion

How human civilisation was built on the seed

‘The Book of Seeds’ is a stunning compendium of one of nature’s finest creations

Seeds are amazing. They can travel thousands of miles across oceans and continents and can live for thousands of years. Coral beans and hamburger beans produced by tropical plants in the pea family can live for up to a year in seawater, and frequently wash up on Europe’s shores, a very long way away fromhome. Probably the champion long-lived seed is that of the humble date palm. Seeds of this species have been found by archaeologists still to be alive after more than 2,000 years, so next time you eat a date and spit out the seed, show it some respect!

Dates are a good example of our relationship with seeds. It is not an exaggeration to say that human civilisation was built on the seed. The domestication of seed-bearing plants, such as wheat, barley and rice around 10,000 years ago enabled complex civilisations to be formed because not everyone was required to go out and look for food. Today, 50 per cent of our calorie intake comes from just three kinds of seed: rice, wheat and maize.

The smallest seeds, such as those produced by orchids, can barely be seen with the naked eye. The world’s largest seed is the double coconut or coco de mer which is the size of your head. Perhaps most astonishing of all is the fact that a seed that is only 5mmin diameter has the potential to grow into the world’s tallest living organism, the giant coastal redwood of North America, which reaches a height of over 91 metres (300 ft).

Over a period of more than 300 million years, seeds have evolved into every size, shape and colour imaginable. Botanists estimate that there are 370,000 seed-bearing plant species found throughout the world. However, with around 2,000 new species being discovered and described each year, that figure continues to grow . Unfortunately, with vast tracts of primary vegetation being cleared for human use – particularly for agriculture – many plant species are disappearing without our knowledge. Current estimates suggest that one in five of the world’s plant species is threatened with extinction.

This matters because plants are fundamental to the ecology of this planet and, by extension, to our survival. They convert energy from the sun and turn it into food, forage, building materials, medicines and other products, and, equally importantly, are key components of the ecosystem services essential to life, including the water, carbon and nitrogen cycles.

The vast majority of plant species (more than 80 per cent) are found in the tropics but even places as inhospitable as Antarctica and the Sahara Desert have seed-bearing plant species. A recent survey concludes that humans
cultivate about a third of known plant species in botanic gardens and horticulture, mainly in the temperate northern hemisphere.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertisement

However, more than 75 per cent of tropical plants are not cultivated, and these are the plants most vulnerable to extinction. If we want our children and grandchildren to benefit from these plants, then we need to do much more to ensure their continued survival.

The Book of Seeds by Paul Smith is out now. (Ivy Press, £30)

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

READER-SUPPORTED SINCE 1991

Reader-supported journalism that doesn’t just report problems, it helps solve them.

Recommended for you

Read All
Prisoners released into homelessness has surged 82% in two years – we're setting people up to fail
a prisoner behind prison bars
Campbell Robb

Prisoners released into homelessness has surged 82% in two years – we're setting people up to fail

I'm the HR director of a water company. We've got to make some changes in the world
Severn Trent workers.
Neil Morrison

I'm the HR director of a water company. We've got to make some changes in the world

How cancer patients could suffer after Labour's cuts to universal credit
Dr Millie Light
Millie Light

How cancer patients could suffer after Labour's cuts to universal credit

Who needs meditation when you have a garden to potter in?
Paul McNamee

Who needs meditation when you have a garden to potter in?

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payments: Where to get help in 2025 now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payments: Where to get help in 2025 now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue