IT starts with a Seed
Primitive plants like mosses and ferns
don’t make seeds; they reproduce by releasing small parts of themselves called spores.
When one of these spores is introduced
into an environment that is conducive to
growth, it develops into a thallus and then
grows reproductive organs—the reproductive
organs fertilize and a new plant develops.
In more advanced plants with seeds, though, the
male and female flowers develop on the plant (or on nearby
plants) and fertilization takes place in the female flowers
when they are exposed to male pollen. The pollinated egg is
a zygote, which grows into a tiny plant (embryo) encased in a
shell. The shell helps to protect the small plant and allows it
to stay in stasis until it finds itself in conditions that allow it to
continue to grow. When separated from the parent plant and
put in a suitable environment, the shell
will break open and the tiny plant will
resume growth.
These shell-encased small plants
are known as seeds. Each seed
has three elements: the plant, a
supply of nutrients and a seed coat.
The encased plant will already have seed
leaves (cotyledons), stems (hypoctyl) and a
root (radicle). The seed nutrient stores of
some plants develop outside of the seed coat and
are known as fruit. The seed coat is the protective
outer layer of the seed and can be soft or rigid.
Some seeds—like tomatoes—require special
handling before they can be planted. Tomato seeds must be
‘fermented’ in a jar with some water. To prepare tomato
seeds, scoop the inside of the tomato into a jar with a little
water. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm
location for two to three days, stirring daily. On the last day,
scoop off the floating material, then rinse with plain water
and dry. Other seeds, such as some kinds of fruit and certain
forest plants, might require a cold period or have ot