From poppies and microbes - distributing particles evenly

From nature ...

Poppy capsules have several compartments, each of which opens with a small pore on the side below the stigma plate. The wind or passing animals gradually shake the small seeds out of the capsule.

... in the technique

Raoul Heinrich Francé (1874 - 1943) is considered the founder of soil ecology. In order to propagate microorganisms, he wanted to distribute the microbes as evenly as possible on soil samples.

It occurred to him that moss capsules spread their spores very evenly. However, they were far too complicated a model for a spreader. He found a suitable alternative in the fruits of the poppy (Papaver).

In 1919, Francé registered the "new spreader" with the German Patent Office, which, due to the lateral arrangement of the pores, distributed the contents evenly over a larger area as desired.

The shaker developed by Francé was never produced in large numbers. Further developments have become established as salt and spice shakers with pores arranged in the direction of spreading.

Image captions

Moss capsules (left, enlarged) and poppy capsules (right) are perfect shakers.

Drawing of a poppy capsule and the spreader developed by R. H. Francé.

Text of the information board in the Botanical Garden