elongates, becomes strongly arched, and at last straightens up, lifting
the cotyledons from the soil. As the cotyledons become exposed to the
light they assume a green color. Some of the stored food in them goes
to nourish the embryo during germination, and they therefore become
smaller, shrivel somewhat, and at last fall off.
[Illustration: Fig. 91. Garden bean.
_m_, micropyle; _h_, hilum or scar; _r_, raphe; _c_, point where
chalaza lies.]
[Illustration: Fig. 92. Bean seed split open to show plantlet.]
=211. The castor-oil bean.=—This is not a true bean, since it
belongs to a very different family of plants (Euphorbiaceæ). In the
germination of this seed a very interesting comparison can be made with
that of the garden bean. As the “bean” swells the very hard outer coat
generally breaks open at the free end and slips off at the stem end.
The next coat within, which is also hard and shining black, splits
open at the opposite end, that is at the stem end. It usually splits
open in the form of three ribs. Next within the inner coat is a very
thin, whitish film (the remains of the nucellus, and corresponding to
the perisperm) which shrivels up and loosens from the white mass, the
endosperm, within. In the castor-oil bean, then, the endosperm is not
all absorbed by the embryo during the formation of the seed. As the
plant becomes older we should note that the fleshy endosperm becomes
thinner and thinner, and at last there is nothing but a thin, whitish
film covering the green faces of the cotyledons. The endosperm has been
gradually absorbed by the germinating plant through its cotyledons and
used for food.
[Illustration: Fig. 93.
How the garden bean comes out of the ground. First the looped
hypocotyl, then the cotyledons pulled out, next casting off the seed
coat, last the plant erect, bearing thick cotyledons, the expanding
leaves, and the plumule between them.]
Arisæma triphyllum.[15]
=212. Germination of seeds of jack-in-the-pulpit.=—The ovaries
of jack-in-the-pulpit form large, bright red berries with a soft pulp
enclosing one to several large seeds. The seeds are oval in form. Their
germination is interesting, and illustrates one type of germination of
seeds common among monocotyledonous plants. If the seeds are covered
with sand, and kept in a moist place, they will germinate readily.
[Illustration: Fig. 94. Germination of castor-oil bean.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account