Let’s go over these now.
1) What does the word germinate mean?
2) Describe the process of germination using the words “embryo”
and “dormant”.
3) What are the four main conditions a seed needs to germinate?
4) Does a seed necessarily need soil to germinate? Explain.
5) Why do you think a seed will only germinate when it’s within a
particular temperature range?
6) If we soaked some lima beans, placed them in a dark cabinet
and left them there, would they germinate? Why or why not?
Where is the actual
plant embryo?
If we let any of our lima
beans germinate in the
dark, what do you think
would eventually happen
to the cotyledons?
How is a seed
like an egg?
Seed coat
Cotyledon
(stored food)
Look at page 87
in your book.
Epicotyl
(young leaves)
Radicle
(root tip)
Roots
Vascular
leaves
Stem
Cotyledon
(‘seed leaf’)
1) Angiosperm or Gymnosperm?
Seed coat
Epicotyl
(young leaves)
Cotyledon
(stored food)
Radicle
(root tip)
Take a look at p. 88 – 89 in your book. Try to come
up with a list of characteristics of gymnosperms.
 Conifers, gingkoes and cycads
 First plants to have seeds plant
embryo with food surrounded by
protective covering
 Seeds develop inside cones
 Pollen with sperm transported
by wind
 Have vascular tissue
Which is the most common?
Ginkgo
Cycad
Conifer
Female
contains egg
Male
contains sperm (pollen)
Both can often
be found on the
same plant.
Pine
Long, thin, needles in
bundles of 2 to 5
Spruce
Short, sharp, spiky
needles growing right
out of the branch
Arborvitae
Scaly texture; Not
really “needles”
Douglas Fir
Flat needles; Cones
with “tails”
The largest single
tree in the world
 Flowering plants
 Vascular tissue
 Most diverse and wide-spread
group (235,000 species)
 First to have flowers, which
are reproductive organs
 Flowers use nectar to attract
insects who carry pollen.
 Seeds develop in fruit (can be
dispersed by animals)
What do all these
things have in
common?