Samara (fruit)

A samara is a simple dry fruit, and is indehiscent (not opening along a seam).

In other cases the seed is on one side, with the wing extending to the other side, making the seed autorotate as it falls, as in the maples (genus Acer) and ash trees (genus Fraxinus).

[4] There are also single-wing samara such as mahogany (genus Swietenia) which have a shape that enables fluttering.

[5] A samara is sometimes called a key[2] and is often referred to as a wingnut, helicopter, whirlybird, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny.

[6] During the autumn months, they are a popular source of amusement for people that enjoy tossing them in the air and watching them spin to the ground.