When a peridiole is ejected by a raindrop, the basal purse is torn at its lower end, releasing the coiled funicular cord which bears a sticky hapteron at its end. Like a wad of glue, the sticky hapteron strikes a solid object, such as a nearby plant, adheres to a branch, and as the peridiole continues in flight the funicular cord expands to its full length. Then, like a tetherball winding around a pole, the peridiole winds around the branch where the hapteron has become attached. [Illustration by Elaine M. Collins, Palomar College; modified from Canadian Journal of Botany 29: 224-234, 1951.]

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