Drift seed

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Puzzle Fruit found washed up on a beach in Mnazi Bay, Tanzania, December 2006

Drift seed (also called sea-bean) is a name for the seed of certain tropical plants which can be found on distant beaches after travelling great distances through ocean currents. Drift seeds are of interest to scientists who study ocean currents, such as Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer. Enthusiasts founded an annual convention in 1996, the International Sea-bean Symposium, dedicated to the display, study, and dissemination of information concerning drift seeds and other flotsam.

[edit] Types of Drift Seed

Box Fruit found washed up on a beach in Mnazi Bay, Tanzania, December 2006

• Anchovy Pear, Gria cauliflora, from the tropics of the New World
• Box Fruit, Barringtonia asiatica, from Polynesia
• Coconut, Cocos nucifera, from the tropics
• Coco-De-Mer, Lodoicea maldivia, from the Seychelles
• Coral Bean, Erythrina spp., from the tropics
• Crabwood, Carapa guianensis, from the tropics of the New World
• Hamburger Seed, Mucuna spp.
• Puzzle Fruit, Heritiera littoralis, from Southeast Asia
• Screw Pine, Pandanus tectorius, from Polynesia
• Sea Coconut, Manicaria saccifera from South America
• Sea Heart, Entada gigas, from the tropics of the New World
• Snuff Box Sea Bean, Entada rheedii, from the tropics of the Indian Ocean
• Tropical Almond, Terminalia catappa, from the tropics of asia.^[1].

[edit] See also

Drift seeds of three legume species found at Kanda on the southern Mozambique coast, May 2004: Entada rheedii, Caesalpinea bonduc and Mucuna gigantea, two colour forms shown

• Curtis Ebbesmeyer
• Beachcombing

[edit] References

1. ^ Ackerman.J (October 2000). "New Eyes on the Oceans". National Geographic: 112 to 113. 

[edit] External links

• http://www.seabean.com International Sea-bean Symposium
• http://oceanmotion.org/html/research/ebbesmeyer.htm Ocean Motion: Profile for Curtis Ebbesmeyer