LIFE HISTORY OF A GYMNOSPERM 
3 r 
Germination of the Seed.- — Under favorable conditions, the seeds 
absorb water and germinate in the spring following their dispersal. 
The hypocotyl of the embryo appears first, arching upward and 
downward, and, straightening out, draws the green cotyledons with 
it which spread out toward the light while it grows into the soil to 
form the tap root and in time the remainder of the root system. 
Thus the seedling sporophyte is formed which in time develops into 
the mature White Pine tree. 
