Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; from Seed to Leaf: For the Use of Teachers, or Mothers Studying with Their ChildrenMoore, Jane Newell
Science
Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; from Seed to Leaf: For the Use of Teachers, or Mothers Studying with Their Children
Moore, Jane Newell
Botany -- Juvenile literature
6. _Monocotyledons_.--These are more difficult. Perhaps it is not worth
while to attempt to make the pupils see the embryo in Wheat and Oats. But
the embryo of Indian Corn is larger and can be easily examined after long
soaking. Removing the seed-covering, we find the greater part of the seed
to be albumen. Closely applied to one side of this, so closely that it
is difficult to separate it perfectly, is the single cotyledon. This
completely surrounds the plumule and furnishes it with food from the
albumen. There is a line down the middle, and, if we carefully bend back
the edges of the cotyledon, it splits along this line, showing the
plumule and caulicle within. The plumule consists of successive layers of
rudimentary leaves, the outer enclosing the rest (Fig. 10, 1, _c_). The
latter is the first leaf and remains undeveloped as a scaly sheath (Fig.
10, 2, _c_). In Wheat and Oats the cotyledon can be easily seen in the
largest seedlings by pulling off the dry husk of the grain. The food will
he seen to have been used up.
[Illustration: FIG. 10. 1. Germination of Indian corn. 2. Same more
advanced. _a_, caulicle; _c_1, first leaf of the plumule, sheathing the
rest; _c_2, second leaf; _c_3, third leaf of the plumule; _d_, roots.]
The series of Corn seedlings, at least, should be drawn as before and
the parts marked, this time with their technical terms. The following
questions should then be prepared.
CORN.
What are the parts of the seed?
Compare these parts with the Morning-Glory, Sunflower, Bean, and Pea.
Where is the food stored?
How many cotyledons have Corn, Wheat, and Oats?
How many have Bean, Pea, Morning-Glory, and Sunflower?
Compare the veins of the leaves of each class and see what difference you
can find.
This will bring up the terms dicotyledon and monocotyledon. _Di_ means
two, _mono_ means one. This difference in the veins, netted in the first
class, parallel in the second, is characteristic of the classes. Pupils
should have specimens of leaves to classify under these two heads.
Flowering plants are divided first into these two classes, the
Dicotyledons and the Monocotyledons.
If Pine-seeds can be planted, the polycotyledonous embryo can also be
studied.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account