Samara (fruit)
Non-opening dry fruit with a flattened wing
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Through Fruit, Seed dispersal and Autorotation
In some cases the seed is in the centre of the wing, as in the elms (genus Ulmus), the hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), and the bushwillows (genus Combretum). 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).
There are also single-wing samara such as mahogany (genus Swietenia) which have a shape that enables fluttering.
Some species that normally produce paired samaras, such as Acer pseudoplatanus, can also produce them in groups of three or four.
In culture
A samara is sometimes called a key and is often referred to as a wingnut, helicopter, whirlybird, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny.