How does a maple samara use its wing to travel in the wind?

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Fruit Ripening apricots on a tree. Apricots are single-seeded drupes.

A maple samara is a type of fruit that utilizes its unique, asymmetrical wing to disperse seeds away from the parent tree. When the samara detaches and falls, its shape causes it to spin rapidly, mimicking the motion of a helicopter's rotor.1

This spinning action creates aerodynamic lift, which slows the fruit's descent and allows it to drift further on the wind than it would if it simply fell straight down. This mechanism is an effective evolutionary strategy for seed dispersal, helping the tree colonize new areas by increasing the distance the seed travels from the shade and competition of the parent plant.1