Exploding Plants Are Blowing Up The Internet, Thanks To Smithsonian Video

Exploding Plants Are Blowing Up The Internet

Ever seen a plant go ballistic?

A viral video posted by the Smithsonian Channel on Thursday shows violets, touch-me-nots and squirting cucumbers exploding to disperse their seeds.

The pods of violets dry out, squeezing the seeds until they launch into the air, according to AbundantNature.com. Touch-me-nots grow elongated seed capsules that detonate when touched, hurling seeds several feet away, Voyageur Country explains. The squirting cucumber discharges its seeds in a spurt, looking in slow-mo like a mini-geyser.

According to Demand Media, some plants can eject their seeds up to 200 feet. "Exploding seeds are an evolutionary tactic to disperse seeds far from the mother plant," the site says.

Not to mention that they're really cool to watch in slow motion.

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