VI. SEEDS AND SI^EDIJNCS 



Problem A'. ,1 ^tiidj/ of seeds in tlicir rrlatioii to the jieiv 

 plant. {Lahoratorij ,][ainial, Proh. ,\'.) 



((/) The relation of the 7/ouii^i plant to its food siqiply. 

 (ft) Hoic the young plant makes nse oj' its food supply. 



Relation of Flower to Fruit. — ^^'■c ha\'e already- found in our 

 study of the fruit that the bean pod is a direct outgro^'th from the 

 flower. It is, in fad, the oranj of tlie flmccr, with the parts imme- 

 diately surrounding it, which has grown larger to make a fruit. 



Use of Fruit. — The fruit holds and protects the seeds until the 

 time comes when tlie>' are able to germinate and produce new 

 plants Uke the original plant 

 from which they grew. Then, 

 as we ha^'0 seen, it helps to 

 scatter them far and wide. 



The Bean Seed. — ^^'e have 

 already been able to identify in 

 the pod of the bean the style, 

 stigma, and ovary of the flower. 

 The opened pod discloses the 

 seeds lying along one edge of 

 the pod, each attached by a 

 little stalk to the inner wall of 

 the ovary. If we pull a single 

 bean from its attachment, we 

 find that the stalk l('a\'es a scar 

 on the coat of the bean; this 

 scar is called the hihnn. The 

 tiny hole near the hilum is 

 called the micropyle. Turn 

 back to the Figure (p. 37) showing the ovule in the ovary. Find 

 there the little hole through which the jiollen tulx- ivachcd the 

 embryo sac. This hole is called the micropyle, and is identical 



HUNT. ES. BIO. — 5 65 



Three \'iewti of a kidney bean, the lower 

 one having one cotyledon removed to 

 show the hj-pocotA-l and plumule. 



