Cotyledon The etymology of the word cotyledon comes from a Greek word that refers to that which has the shape of a cup and this term comes from the Latin language, from the word cotylēdon. Cotyledons are the primordial leaves that are located in plants that have flowers and that appear when the seeds germinate, it is the first leaf that is formed in the embryo.
Summary
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- 1 Features
- 2 Function
- 3 Importance
- 4 Sources
characteristics
Cotyledons are the first leaves that plants develop. These “false leaves” do not have the morphology that the rest of the leaves of the plant will develop. Its morphology is simple, oval or heart-shaped and it does not resemble the true leaf of the plant, neither in its shape, its size, nor its coloration. However, not all the cotyledons of all plants are the same. Sometimes an expert eye can tell one plant from another by looking at its cotyledons. The life of these first leaves is short. Since when the plant has developed leaves to supply itself with energy, the cotyledons fall off.
Function
Cotyledons are important parts of plants and are responsible for providing the necessary and adequate nutrients for seed germination. In the case of nuts, cotyledons act as a storage organ. Also, the cotyledons serve to reserve and absorb the nutrients that are located in the seed until the seedling has the ability to produce its true leaves and to be able to photosynthesize.
Importance
They are basically the first leaf that the plant has, and they are in charge of being reserve organs for the embryo, they are also important for the germination and for the pigmentation of the leaves since thanks to them the chloroplasts manage to appear in order to carry out the photosynthesis.
