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May, 2006 Vol. 12, No. 1 THE DRIFTING SEED A triannual newsletter covering seeds and fruits dispersed by tropical currents and the people who collect and study them. Distributed to more than 20 countries. Ed Perry, Editor and Publisher Dr. Charles (Bob) Gunn, Advisor Patricia Frazier, Production Editor Mr. John Beerensson, Guest Columnist Dr. Gerhard Cadée, Columnist Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, Columnist Dr. Roger A. Hewitt, Columnist Dr. Jeremy Smith, Columnist Paul Mikkelsen, Web Site Manager for www.seabean.com The 11th Annual International Sea Bean Symposium will be held at the Cocoa Beach Public Library, October 13th-14th, 2006. Pages 2-4— Non-floating Entada, Cadée & Ruijter Pages 14-15—Dutch Star Nut, Cadée & Smit Pages 5-8—Sea-Beans in Hog Heaven, Ebbesmeyer Page 16—The Black Sea Biscuit, J. Beerensson Pages 9-12—Floatation of Cephalopods, R. A. Hewitt Page 17—News and Notes Page 13—More on Seed Dispersal, J. Smith Page 18—Fold-over cover page, sea-bean I.D. For Newsletter Subscription Information, Submissions, Donations, or Seed Identification: contact: Ed Perry P.O. Box 510366 Melbourne Beach, FL 32951—USA E-mail: [email protected] (Paul Mikkelsen) or [email protected] (Ed Perry) Non-floating Entada seeds on the Dutch coast by Gerhard C. Cadée & Rien de Ruijter [email protected], [email protected] Sea hearts, Entada, are probably the best-known and most frequently collected drift seeds from tropical plants (Gunn & Dennis, 1976; Nelson, 2000; Perry & Dennis, 2003). On the 27th of February 2005 Rien de Ruijter was very lucky when he collected two sea hearts on the Dutch North Sea coast. However, at home both appeared not to float in freshwater, nor in seawater. We must conclude, therefore, that these sea hearts cannot be real tropical drift seeds. How then did they arrive on our coast? From older literature (in particular Guppy, 1906) it appears that only part of the seeds produced by Entada can float. Half or more of the sea hearts produced lack the hollow, air-filled center, which gives them their floating ability. Moreover, we know that Entada seeds are sold in shops in the Netherlands (Brochard & Cadée, 2005). Combining these facts this suggested to us that these two non-floating sea hearts found in February 2005 were collected in the Tropics, brought to the Netherlands and sold there. They were probably lost on the beach; another example of the importance of the ‘human factor’ in drift seeds (Cadée, 1997). H.B. Guppy on sea hearts Henry Brougham Guppy (1854-1926) did probably more research on drift seeds and tropical coastal vegetation than anyone before or after him. His life must have been adventurous, suitable for a splendid biography. He was born in Falmouth (Cornwall, UK), an excellent place for beachcombers to collect tropical drift. He remembers as a boy to have often collected on Cornish beaches shells of the tropical pelagic snail Janthina (Guppy, 1917: p. 29). He studied medicine in Edinburgh and became surgeon for the Royal Navy from 1876-1885. Much of his navy time he spent in the Pacific a.o. aboard the HMS Lark. This enabled him to study the geology and coral reefs 1882-1884 of the Solomon Islands (Rice, 1986) and to visit tropical beaches to start his life-long studies of tropical vegetation and drift seeds. When he became financially independent he left the Royal Navy and started travelling. He collected plants on the Solomon Islands, on Keeling and Java, did botanical and geological research on Hawaii and the Fiji islands and botanical research in the West Indies in 1907 to 1911 (Desmond, 1994). As no one before him, he had the possibilities to study tropical coastal vegetation on a worldwide scale and to collect drift seeds and fruits. His studies were published in three books that still form a rich source of information (Guppy, 1906, 1912, 1917). In Guppy (1906: p. 181) he writes that half or less of the Entada seeds fresh from the plants could float. They had the hollow center that gives the seed its floating ability. As a result, only a small part of the seeds produced by plants growing along rivers will be transported by these rivers to the sea. Guppy already suggested that those that can drift can do this for a very long time. This suggestion is now supported by the drift experiments started by John Dennis in 1971 and continued by Ed Perry: two of these sea hearts are still drifting (Perry & Dennis, 2003, p.23 - 26). Sea hearts as souvenirs and used for window-dressing material In Europe sea hearts can regularly be bought in shops as souvenirs (Cadée, 1991; Nelson, 2000; Brochard & Cadée, 2005). Also tropical shells found now and then on Dutch beaches already for a long time are thought to be imported and sold in beach resorts (van Regteren Altena, 1937). In the Netherlands some years ago also a firm (BeekWilder) dealing in window-dressing material sold sea hearts in large quantities. Most sea hearts therefore will reach the Netherlands, not as real tropical drift seeds, but to be sold here. If those sold here were collected where the plants live, it is quite The Drifting Seed, May 2006 2 possible that part of these sea hearts will not be able to float. Up to now we have been able to test three sea hearts that were used as window dressing material in our country, and two of these did not float. This corroborates our conclusion that the two found on the beach by Rien were introduced by man. Moreover, the shape (Fig. 1) is also different from the E. gigas seeds found on Atlantic shores on both sides of the ocean (Nelson, 2000; Perry & Dennis, 2003). It is rectangular in outline with straight sides, rather than round. This fits better the description of E. phaseoloides of the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Gunn & Dennis, 1967; Nelson, 2000). E. phaseoloides has never before been reported from European coasts. It is hardly possible for drift seeds from the Indian or Pacific Ocean to arrive with sea currents on European coasts (Brochard & Cadée, 2005). We are convinced that the sea hearts we report on here were introduced by man, forming another example of the importance of ‘the human factor’ in tropical seeds and fruits found on the Dutch beach (Cadée, 1997; Cadée & Nijhuis, 2005). This asks for testing the earlier reports of sea hearts from the Dutch beaches. Gerhard tested those in his drift seed collection. These were found by different people, always as single seeds on Terschelling (~1965), Castricum (1993), Texel (2 in 1994) and Rottumeroog (1994) all in the northern part of The Netherlands. All these could float in fresh water as did the specimen Rien had collected in 2001 on Vlieland. Two sea hearts found in France, and one collected by Gerhard on Skye in 2003 floated. Therefore we think all these are real tropical drift seeds. The tens of sea hearts found in drift in the 1970s on beaches in the southern part of the Netherlands were thought to be from a ship load of seeds probably transported to our part of the world for a pharmaceutical company (van Benthem Jutting, 1977). Figure 1 One of the non-drifting sea hearts found by Rien de Ruijter on the North Sea beach near Schoorl (prov. North-Holland) Literature Benthem Jutting, W.S.S. van, 1977. Zaden van Entada gigas (L.) Fawcett et Rendle op het strand bij Domburg. Gorteria 8: 156-157. Brochard, C. & G.C. Cadée, 2005. Tropische drijfzaden van de Nederlandse kust. SWG Tabellenserie 30: 1-66. Cadée, G.C., 1991. Nieuwe gegevens over Entada gigas en andere exotische vruchten en zaden van ons strand. Het Zeepaard 51: 56-64. Cadée, G.C.. 1997. Tropical drift disseminules from the coast of the Netherlands: The human factor. The Drifting Seed. 3(2): 3-4. Cadée, G.C. & H.W. Nijhuis. 2005. Will Terschelling’s mermaid tell us her secrets? The Drifting Seed 11(2): 3-4 The Drifting Seed, May 2006 3 Desmond, R., 1994. Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists. Taylor & Francis, London, 825 pp. Gunn, C.R. & J.V. Dennis, 1976. World Guide to Tropical Drift Seeds and Fruits. Demeter Press, New York, 240 pp (reprinted 1999, Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida). Guppy, H.B., 1906. Observations of a Naturalist in the Pacific between 1896 and 1899. Vol. 2. Plant Dispersal. Macmillan, London, 531 pp. Guppy, H.B., 1912. Studies in seeds and fruits. Williams & Norgate, London, 528 pp. Guppy, H.B., 1917. Plants, seeds, and currents in the West Indies and Azores. William & Norgate, London, 531 pp. Nelson, C.E., 2000. Sea Beans and Nickar Nuts. Botanical Society of the British Isles, London. Handbook no 10: 1-156. Perry, E.L. & J.V. Dennis, 2003. Sea-beans from the Tropics, A collector’s guide to sea-beans and other tropical drift on Atlantic shores. Krieger publisher, Malabar, Florida, 232 pp. Regteren Altena, C.O. van, 1937. Bijdrage tot de kennis der fossiele, subfossiele en recente mollusken, die op de Nederlandse stranden aanspoelen, en hunner verspreiding. Nw. Verh. Bataafs Gen. R’dam. (2)10(3): 1-184. Rice, T., 1986. British Oceanographic Vessels 1800 – 1950. Ray Society, London, 193 pp. A request for sea-beans (that was filled!): Dear Ed & Paul, I'm writing ahead of the Symposium later this month to ask a favor: I'm looking for small samples of fresh drift seeds (Mucuna, Entada, Canavalia, Caesalpinia) from the bean family for a research project. I'd like to test the beans for cyanide compounds in their tissues.