A fluffy pappus (≈100 bristles) creates enormous air resistance relative to the tiny seed mass—falling speed is only ~0.3–0.5 m/s. This gives a gentle breeze dozens of seconds to carry the seed far away.
Real example: In 2018, scientists discovered that above the pappus, a stable detached vortex ring of air forms—a unique type of 'parachute' more effective than a solid dome and never replicated in any artificial structure.
Spin controls · Scale · Wind changes and compare two seeds