It’s That Time of Year

This time of year is tough for folks who do work with plants.  It’s the happiest time of year because the world is turning green again, but it’s also the busiest time of year because we need to be inside teaching, outside planting, and also on the road since spring talks are finishing up.  Honestly I’m having trouble finding an hour to myself to work on writing up papers and articles.

That said, let me leave you with something that’s been bugging me the last few days (based on an article I read a few years ago).  If a person were in inhale a small seed, would it grow into their lungs?

What do you think?  Real or BS?

6 thoughts on “It’s That Time of Year”

  1. I recall hearing a story a year or so back about a guy who aspirated a pea or a bean or something and it sprouted in his lung. Snopes says nothing. Moist, warm, dark – sounds like a good germination chamber. Then again, maybe I’m a fool 🙂

  2. I believe it may be remotely possible that a seed could germinate in the environment of a lung. My problem is with the picture of the fir seedling. It looks far more like the tip of a branch instead of an elongated seedling grown without light. It shows good color and straight formation, not what would be expected in the cramped confines of a lung. The supposed xray and the picture of the seedling don’t match up either. How would a fir needle show up that clearly on an xray when compared to the bones of the rib cage?

    Regarding the other story on the internet of the pea seed that germinated in a man’s lung, the pea would have to have been raw, as in a salad, to even have a chance to germinate. Cooked peas are dead peas. My vote is for bs for both stories.

  3. BS! That is no seedling! I agree with Sandy and Paul, it sounds possible but this one is totally fake. Maybe you could do a germination test with phlegm in the dark….

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