Monocot Seeds

Introduction 

Do you know why, despite being flowers, the sunflower and the orchid do not belong to the same group of flowering plants? Some plants generate real seeds (Angiosperms), whereas others do not (Gymnosperms). These two blooming plants are distinguished by the number of cotyledons. In terms of root, stem, and leaf structure, dicot and monocot plants vary.

A monocot seed, on the other hand, generates a single leaf when it germinates. Like the mature leaf, it is generally long and slender. A monocot has only one seed leaf, even if it has a very circular form.

Monocot

Plants, these species make up a large fraction of all living things on the planet and provide a variety of critical functions for us. They feed us with food and energy, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, recycle nutrients, and occasionally just look gorgeous.

Because there are so many plants on the planet, scientists have begun classifying them in order to make it easier to study them. The first major classification of plants is based on whether or not they have flowers. The blooming plants are then divided into two primary categories based on their physical appearance and the number of leaves formed when the seeds initially germinate.

If a plant contains just one seed leaf, or cotyledon, it is classified as monocotyledon, or monocot for short. If a plant contains two seed leaves, it belongs to the dicotyledon group, or dicot for short.

Monocot Seed 

Monocot seeds are seeds that are made out of a single (mono) embryonic leaf or cotyledon. The structure of the seed and the number of cotyledons present in the seed are the most fundamental traits that allow monocots and dicots to be distinguished. Most monocot seed pods are trimerous (composed of three sections), as the carpel engaged in fertilisation is similarly composed of three parts. A monocot seed is often greater in size due to the presence of a large endosperm. To support the embryo, the endosperm stores a huge quantity of food. Because of the presence of endosperm, monocot seeds are also known as albuminous seeds.

The form and size of the seeds vary, but due to the existence of a single cotyledon, monocot seeds are not as symmetrical as dicot seeds. Monocot seeds are commonly triangular, elliptic, ovate, or egg-shaped. Because ovules grow into seeds after fertilisation, the ovule’s form influences the eventual shape of the seed.

Monocot Seed Examples

Maize grain

• The maize grain is a single-seeded fruit known as a caryopsis. Because the ovary is securely linked to the seed coat, these fruits are moncarpelate and indehiscent. A kernel is the name given to the maize caryopsis

• The embryo, endodermis, and carpel wall or seed coat are the three sections of the grain or kernel

• The endosperm takes up the most area within the seed and is divided into two types: floury endosperm and horny endosperm

• The kernel embryo is made up of a cotyledon, also known as a scutellum, that is connected to the embryo axis through the scutellar node

• The scutellum is made up of four unique tissues: the epithelium, the parenchyma, the epidermis, and the perivascular tissue

Structure of Monocot Seed

Monocotyledonous seeds are often endospermic, however others, such as orchids, are not. The seed coat of cereal seeds, such as maize, is membranous and typically united with the fruit wall. The endosperm is thick and heavy, and it stores food. The outer endosperm covering is separated from the embryo by a proteinaceous layer known as the aleurone layer.

The embryo is tiny and is located in a groove at one end of the endosperm. It is made up of one huge shield-shaped cotyledon known as the scutellum, as well as a short axis with a plumule and a radicle. The plumule and radicle are surrounded by sheaths known as coleoptile and coleorhiza, respectively.

Monocotyledonous seed embryos have just one big cotyledon termed scutellum. The scutellum is typically fashioned like a shield. It is situated laterally, to the side of the embryo axis. The embryo axis of monocotyledons, like that of dicotyledons, has a shoot tip, plumule, that is encased in a sheath termed coleoptile. The embryo axis of monocotyledons, like that of dicotyledons, has a shoot tip known as the plumule. 

Difference between Monocot and Dicot Seed

Conclusion

Monocot seeds are seeds that are made out of a single embryonic leaf or cotyledon. The structure of the seed and the number of cotyledons present in the seed are the most fundamental traits that allow monocots and dicots to be distinguished. A monocot seed is often greater in size due to the presence of a large endosperm. Because of the presence of endosperm, monocot seeds are also known as albuminous seeds. The form and size of the seeds vary, but due to the existence of a single cotyledon, monocot seeds are not as symmetrical as dicot seeds. The embryo, endodermis, and carpel wall or seed coat are the three sections of the grain or kernel.