What Type of Seed Is This? Easy Guide to 30+ Common Seeds

By PlantIDOnline Editorial Team · Updated November 1, 2026

Quick answer

Wondering “what type of seed is this?” Check six things: its size (measure it), shape (round, flat, kidney, teardrop, angular), colour and pattern, surface (smooth, ridged, hairy, corky), any attachments such as wings, fluff or hooks, and where you found it. Those clues narrow most seeds to a plant family; for a certain answer, plant a few and identify the seedling — or the grown plant — from a photo.

Seeds themselves can be hard to tell apart, but the plants they grow into usually aren’t. If you can find the parent plant nearby, identify it from a photo — that’s often the fastest way to name a mystery seed.

Step 1: Measure and describe the seed

Lay the seed on white paper next to a ruler and take a sharp, close-up photo in daylight. Then write down what you see — these notes answer “what type of seed is this?” faster than scrolling through photos. Size matters more than people expect: a lettuce seed and a sunflower seed are both pointed and striped-ish, but one is about 4 mm long and the other more than 10 mm.

Feature	What to note	Why it helps
Size	Length and width in millimetres	Separates tiny seeds (carrot, lettuce, poppy) from large ones (bean, squash)
Shape	Round, flat, oval, kidney, teardrop, wedge, needle, angular	Shape often points to the family — kidney shapes suggest beans, flat ovals suggest squash
Colour and pattern	Solid, speckled, striped, two-tone	Bean varieties and sunflowers have distinctive patterns
Surface	Smooth, glossy, wrinkled, ridged, hairy, spiny, corky	Carrot seeds are ridged and bristly; beet “seeds” are corky clusters
Scar (hilum)	The spot where the seed was attached to the pod	Very visible on beans and peas; its shape and colour help separate varieties
Attachments	Wings, fluffy parachutes, hooks or burs	Tell you how the seed travels — and narrow the plant group

Step 2: How does the seed travel?

A seed’s shape is built for how it spreads. Recognising the strategy tells you what kind of plant to look for nearby — and often answers what type of seed is this before you even measure it.

Wings

Light, dry seeds with a papery wing that spins or glides on the wind: maple “helicopters”, ash, elm, pine and birch.

Parachutes

Tiny seeds with a tuft of fluff that floats: dandelion, milkweed, thistle, cottonwood and willow.

Hooks and burs

Seeds or seed cases that cling to fur and socks: burdock, cocklebur, beggar’s ticks and cleavers.

Fleshy fruit

Seeds inside berries and fruit that birds and mammals eat: tomato, apple, cherry, holly, pokeweed.

Nuts

Large, hard seeds that squirrels and jays carry and bury: acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beech nuts.

Pods and capsules

Seeds released from pods or shaken from capsules: beans, peas, locust, poppy, iris.

Fruits and seeds that float in water — like coconut — have air pockets or a buoyant husk.

Common vegetable seeds and how to tell them apart

Garden seeds get mixed up when packets tear or labels fade. If a loose seed has you asking what type of seed is this, start with this table. These are the most common ones and their giveaway features.

Seed	Size	What it looks like
Bean	Large (10–20 mm)	Kidney- or oval-shaped, smooth, often glossy; a clear scar (hilum) on one side; white, black, red, speckled
Pea	Medium (5–8 mm)	Round; smooth or wrinkled; green, cream or tan
Corn (maize)	Medium–large	A flattened, wedge-shaped kernel; yellow, white or multicoloured; dented or smooth
Squash, pumpkin, zucchini	Large (10–25 mm)	Flat, oval, cream to white, often with a raised rim around the edge
Cucumber	Medium (8–10 mm)	Flat, narrow, pointed oval; creamy white; thinner than squash
Watermelon	Medium	Flat, smooth teardrop; black, brown, red or cream
Tomato	Small (3–4 mm)	Flat, roughly round, pale tan; covered in fine fuzzy hairs
Pepper	Small (3–5 mm)	Flat, round to kidney-shaped disc; cream to pale yellow; smooth, no hairs
Cabbage, broccoli, kale, radish	Small (1.5–3 mm)	Tiny round balls, brown to black or reddish. Brassicas look almost identical — radish seeds are larger and more irregular
Carrot	Very small (2–4 mm)	Flat on one side, ribbed, with tiny bristles along the ridges
Lettuce	Small (3–4 mm)	Thin, pointed, slightly ribbed; white, grey or black
Spinach	Small (2–4 mm)	Round and smooth, or irregular and prickly depending on type
Beet and chard	Medium (3–5 mm)	Corky, knobbly clusters — each “seed” is actually a cluster that can sprout several seedlings
Onion and leek	Small (2–3 mm)	Black, angular, wrinkled or faceted
Okra	Medium (4–6 mm)	Round, grey-green to dark

Common flower and herb seeds

Seed	What it looks like
Sunflower	Teardrop-shaped, flattened, usually black with white or grey stripes (actually a dry fruit with the seed inside)
Marigold	Long, slender, black needles with a pale, papery tip
Zinnia	Flat, arrowhead or spear-shaped, grey-brown
Cosmos	Long, thin, dark needles, sometimes with small barbs at the tip
Nasturtium	Large, round, wrinkled and ridged, pale tan to green
Basil	Tiny, black, oval; goes gel-coated when wet
Coriander (cilantro)	Round, ribbed, tan balls — each one is a fruit holding two seeds
Poppy	Tiny, kidney-shaped, blue-grey to black, with a fine net pattern

Tree seeds you’ll find on the ground

Seed or fruit	Tree
Paired winged “helicopters” (samaras)	Maple
Single, narrow wing, like a canoe paddle	Ash
Round, flat papery disc with a seed in the centre	Elm
Acorn in a scaly cap	Oak — red oak group acorns take two seasons to ripen
Spiky husk with triangular nuts	American beech
Shiny brown nut in a spiny or leathery husk	Horse chestnut or buckeye — toxic, not edible chestnuts
Long, twisted, leathery pod	Honey locust
Spiky ball	Sweetgum
Round, dangling seed ball	Sycamore
Large round husk that stains hands	Black walnut

Step 3: When you still can’t tell — grow it

Many seeds simply can’t be told apart by eye: brassicas, many grasses, and most weed seeds look alike even to experts, who use magnification and reference collections such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s seed image gallery. For gardeners, the most reliable way to identify seeds you can’t name by eye is to sprout a few.

Sow a few seeds in a small pot or damp paper towel, keeping the rest.
Watch the seed leaves (cotyledons) — the first two leaves often look nothing like the plant’s true leaves.
Wait for the first true leaves. These are much more distinctive.
Photograph the seedling and identify it. As it grows, flowers or fruit will confirm the answer.

A shortcut for found seeds

If the seed came from a plant in your garden, a park or a walk, look around for the parent. Matching the seed to a nearby plant — and identifying that plant — is the quickest answer to what type of seed is this.

Don’t eat or plant unknown seeds carelessly

Some seeds are seriously toxic. Castor bean seeds are extremely poisonous — small amounts can be fatal. Jimsonweed (datura) seeds from spiny pods and horse chestnut / buckeye nuts are also toxic. Keep unknown seeds away from children and pets.

Brightly coloured seeds (pink, blue, green) from a packet have usually been treated with a fungicide or other coating. Don’t eat them, and wash your hands after sowing.

If someone may have swallowed a poisonous seed, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (US). For pets, call your vet.

Be careful planting mystery seeds from bird feeders or unexpected packages, too: they can introduce invasive weeds. If you receive seeds you didn’t order, contact your local agriculture or Extension office rather than planting them.

What type of seed is this? FAQ

Photograph it next to a ruler on plain paper, then compare its size, shape, colour and surface with the tables above. Seeds alone are often hard to identify — growing a few and identifying the seedling gives a more reliable answer.

Small (about 3–4 mm), flat, roughly round and pale tan, covered in fine, fuzzy hairs. Pepper seeds are similar in size but smooth and cream-coloured.

Squash and pumpkin seeds are bigger, plumper and usually have a raised rim around the edge. Cucumber seeds are thinner, narrower and more pointed.

Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and turnip seeds are nearly identical tiny brown-black balls. Label packets carefully — or grow them out to tell them apart.

You can try, but seeds from hybrid fruit often grow into plants that differ from the parent, and some take years to fruit.

Found the plant the seed came from?

Upload a photo of the plant, its leaves or its flowers to the free plant identifier — it’s the fastest way to name a mystery seed.

Identify the plant →

What Type of Seed Is This? How to Identify Seeds by Shape, Size and Colour

Step 1: Measure and describe the seed