10 Plants and their Ways in Sotith Africa 



lying in the centre of the endosperm. Around the endosperm 

 is more stored food (perisperm). It can be seen plainly, and 

 will remind you of the empty bag in the pine seed. 



Examine a date and compare the seed 

 with that of Haemanthus. 



"Water Uintjes " {Apono'geton) has one large 

 green cotyledon, a thin plumule, and a very 

 small radicle. Its food is all stored in the 

 cotyledon. 



Plants which have two cotyledons are 

 called Dicotyledons^ those with only one are 

 Monocotyledons. It is an important dis- 

 tinction. Most monocotyledons have endo- 

 sperm. " Water Uintjes " {Apo?iogeto?i) is an 

 exception. The plants in each group have 

 other characters in common which we shall 

 find out later. 



In the Hcemanthus and date the embryos 

 are so very small that the food supply seems 

 unnecessarily generous ; but it takes a long while for the date 

 to get a firm footing in the soil, and the " April Fool " is 

 always liable to be overtaken by drought. Nature provides 

 her children generously, and we all know, when it comes to a 

 question of food, it is better to have too much 

 than not enough. 



By this time we have examined enough 

 seeds to find evidence of foresight for the 

 future of the little plants, and as we follow 

 their life histories we shall find this wise pro- 

 vision all along. 



How Seedlings behave when they 



WAKE UP. 



Fig. 13.— Seed of 

 "Water Uintjes" 

 (^Apofiogetoti). I, 

 large fleshy coty- 

 ledon ; 2, plu- 

 mule ; 3, small 

 radicle. 



F'iG. 14. — Zea mats 

 (Indian corn). 



Zea Mais conies up Head Foremost. 



-You may mistake the little pointed object 

 for a stem, but in a few days you will find it to be a hollow, 

 pointed leaf containing another leaf rolled up within it. This 

 pointed roll easily pushes up through the soil. After it is 



