Growing Seeds One of life’s little wonders…
Things to ponder… What are the 5 major plant growth requirements? Nutrients Light Moisture Carbon Dioxide Temperature
It’s just a seed right? Dry Small Ugly Who cares?
Or is it? All Different Alive Little promises of growth! Hold Potential Impressive Neatly packaged
What is a seed? A seed is a fertilized, ripened ovule of a seed-producing plant… Containing a living plant embryo capable of germinating and producing a new plant!
More simply… A seed is a guarantee of another plant!
How are seeds formed? Flowers are pollinated and seeds form within the drying flower.
What’s in a seed? A tiny living plant embryo suspended inside.
What’s viability? This ability for the embryo to wait suspended is called “viability”
Epicotyl: (in the embryo of a plant) the part of the stem above the cotyledons. Hypocotyl: connects the cotyledons to the radicle.
Radicle: The part of a plant embryo that develops into a root. Cotyledon: the primary leaf of the embryo of seed plants. (Like the sepal of a bud… for protection.)
What is the length of a seed’s viability called? “longevity”
The 2 Seed Categories:
Monocot One seed leaf Flower parts are in 3’s or multiples of 3 Leaves have parallel veins Vascular bundles are scattered in the stem Tap Root System
Monocot Seed Coat Endosperm Cotyledon Embryo
Dicot Two seed leaves (cotyledons) Flower parts in four or five multiples Leaves are net veined Vascular bundles in stems are arranged in a circle Fibrous Roots
Dicot Seed Coat Endosperm Cotyledons Embryo
Can you tell them apart? A B
Can you identify the parts? #3 #1 #4 #2