Samara
/suh-MAR-uh/🌸 Flower Parts●● Intermediate
Also known as: key, helicopter seed, whirlybird
A dry, indehiscent fruit with a papery wing that extends from the seed, enabling wind dispersal. The wing causes the samara to spin like a helicopter blade as it falls, carrying the seed away from the parent tree. Maples produce paired samaras (often called "helicopters" or "whirlybirds"), while elms and ashes produce single samaras. The wing shape and size vary by species.
Etymology
Latin samara (seed of the elm)
Example
“Maple samaras spin through the air like tiny helicopters, dispersing seeds far from the parent tree.”