Non-randomness on the distributional orientation of the cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) flowers naturally fell on the ground

Abstract

Observation has been made and is registered for the event of the naturally fell cotton tree (Bombax ceiba L.) flowers on the ground in terms of their orientation and distribution to the cardinal directions. By collecting data from the natural fall of the tree flowers on the ground, the data were then grouped to four arbitrary groups according to the cardinal directions. The results show a clear tendency of the flowers to be more aligned to the East or West directions, a non-random event of distribution. To compare and verify the collected data, a simulation experiment was also conducted using the commercially available badminton shuttlecocks to simulate the fall, and the distribution and orientation. The data of badminton shuttlecocks, though not perfectly random, are much closer to a random event through the repeated simulations. The overall results indicate that the distribution and orientation of the cotton tree flowers on ground are not a random event, and this may have fundamental biological and physical reasons deserving further investigations.