Question

In Hiptage , anemochory occurs because of
A. Winged seeds
B. Balloon fruits
C. Winged fruits
D. Plumed seeds

Answer 1

Hint: Hiptage is a Malpighiaceae genus, a family of about 75 flowering plant genera in the order Malpighiales. Hiptage comprises 30 species of vines and woody shrubs that grow from Pakistan and India to Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia in the forests of tropical southeast Asia.

Complete answer:
There are many possible benefits of seed dispersal-the movement of a seed away from its parent plant, often facilitated by a vector (e.g., animals, wind). Dispersal offers a chance for seedlings to develop themselves away from their parent plants at the level of the individual, potentially occupying new and/or more favourable habitats. In a group, dispersal often encourages further genetic mixing because similar populations are less likely to be concentrated next to each other.
The seed itself or a seed (or seeds) enclosed inside a fruit, may be the unit of dispersal in angiosperms. Angiosperm fruits or seeds are also modified to increase dispersal. Dispersal can occur by a variety of different means, including gravity, wind, water, animals, and ballistic dispersal (adaptations that launch seeds from the fruit), wind, water, animals, and ballistic dispersal (basically a simple means of dispersal involving the seed falling and potentially rolling downslope a short distance).

Wind dispersal (anemochory)
Wind-dispersed fruits and seeds also have modifications that help delay their descent to the ground and increase the chances of air currents being blown sideways, so that they do not fall directly under or next to their parent plant. Small size and/or light weight, wings, fur, and/or inflation may be used in seed modifications for wind dispersal.
The wing is one of the most evident modifications for wind-dispersal. In the fossil record, starting in the Paleogene, winged fruits are common. There is always a single wing in winged fruits or seeds, in which case the wing may be asymmetrical, or offset to one side of the fruit or seed. If they have more than one wing, the wings are mostly arranged around the fruit or seed on a regular basis.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: A seed or fruit will also spin or rotate as it falls (known as autorotation, i.e. self-rotation), due to the structure of the wing or wings. Maples (Acer) grow wind-dispersed fruits that are common and spin as they fall. You can experience this yourself if you live in a neighbourhood of maple trees; watch the mature fruits fall from a tree on a windy day or pick up the fallen mericarps (fruit halves) and drop them to watch them spin as they fall.