| Fruit: | the mature ovary wall, generally containing seeds |
| Funiculus: | stalk by which seed is attached to placenta in fruit |
Seed Surfaces
| Alate: | winged |
| Circumalate: | winged circumferentially |
| Comose: | with a tuft of trichomes |
| Coronate: | with a crown |
| Crested: | with an elevated ridge or ridges; with raphe |
| Umbonate: | with distinct projection usually from the side |
| Verrucose: | warty |
Seed Parts
| Aril: | fleshy outgrowth of funiculus, raphe, or integuments (seed coat) |
| Embryo: | young sporophyte consisting of epicotyl, hypocotyl, radicle, and one or more cotyledons |
| Endosperm: | food reserve formed from syngamy of central cell and sperm |
| Hilum: | funicular scar on seed coat |
| Micropyle: | hole through seed coat for delivery of sperm cells |
| Raphe: | ridge on seed coat fromed from fused funiculus |
| Seed Coat: | hardened integuments of ovule, protective covering of seed |
Embryo Parts
| Coleoptile: | protective first leaf sheath surrounding epicotyl in grasses |
| Coleorhiza: | protective sheath around radicle in grasses |
| Cotyledon: | embryonic or seed leaf |
| Epicotyl: | apical end of embryo axis above cotyledon |
| Hypocotyl: | embryonic stem below cotyledons |
| Mesocotyl: | embryonic stem axis between scutellum and coleoptile in grasses |
| Plumule: | leaves of epicotyl in seed |
| Radicle: | basal end of embryo axis, becoming root |
| Scutellum: | the cotyledon in grasses |
Seed Types
| Cotylespermous: | food reserve in cotyledon |
| Endospermous: | food reserve in endosperm |
| Hypocotylespermous: | food reserve in hypocotyl |
Cotyledon Number
| Monocotyledonous: | one cotyledon |
| Dicotyledonous: | two cotyledons |
Cotyledon Size
| Anisocotylous: | unequal cotyledons |
| Isocotylous: | cotyledons equal in shape and size |
Radicle Position
| Antitropous: | radicle pointing away from hilum |
| Syntropous: | radicle pointing toward hilum |
Embryo Types
| Bent: | embryo with cotyledons folded back along the hypocotyl/radicle. |
| Broad: | basal globular or lenticular embryo surrounded in endosperm |
| Capitate: | basal head-like embryo surrounded in endosperm |
| Dwarf: | embryo small compared to seed; seed in 0.2 to 2 mm long |
| Folded: | embryo with thin extensive cotyledons folded and pleated in various ways |
| Investing: | embryo with thick cotyledons as major portion with limited endosperm |
| Linear: | axial embryo several times longer than broad, with thin cotyledons |
| Micro: | axial embryo in minute seeds less than 0.2 mm long, occupying most of seed |
| Peripheral: | embryo pressed along side of seed coat, remainder is endosperm |
| Rudimentary: | undifferentiated embryo in copious endosperm |
Cotyledon Position
| Accumbent: | with cotyledon edges against hypocotyl |
| Incumbent: | with cotyledon sides against hypocotyl |
Seedling Types
| Cryptocotylar= hypogeous: | cotyledons remaining in seed and usually below ground |
| Phanerocotylar= epigeous: | cotyledons emergent from seed and usually appearing above ground |
Seedling Parts
| Adventitious root: | a root arising from stem, petiole, or leaf tissues |
| Cataphyll: | rudimentary scale leaf in cryptocotylar species |
| Collet: | external demarcation between hypocotyl and root |
| Eophyll: | the first few green leaves developed by seedlings in transition to adult leaves |
| Lateral root: | a branch root, a secondary root, arising from root tissue |
| Leaf primordia: | young leaves having unexpanded blades |
| Metaphyll: | adult leaves |
| Primary root: | derived from radicle |
| Root apex: | root meristem including terminal root cap |
| Root hair: | epidermal cells of a young root extending outward among soil particles |
| Shoot apex: | shoot meristem with leaf primordia |
This page © Ross E. Koning 1994.
The CBE citation style for this page would be: Koning, Ross E. 1994. "Seeds and Seedling Vocabulary". Plant Physiology Website. http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/plant_biology/seedvocab.html (your visit date)
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