A Seed Takes Root
- The embryo tree inside the seed.
- Complete with tiny leaves, stem, and a point that will become a root, the tiny embryo tree is embedded in a food supply called “endosperm”.
- The growing embryo splits the shell of the seed.
- Responding to gravity—whichever way the seed lies—the root probes its way toward the ground.
- As soon as the tiny root tip penetrates the soil, the tree is not only fixed in the ground, but is capable of absorbing water and mineral nutrients.
- The leaves emerge from the shell and create a supply of chlorophyll. Now the tree can manufacture its own food from water in the soil and carbon dioxide in the air.
- Hidden at the base of the leaves is the “terminal bud.” Within this cluster of actively dividing cells, all upward growth takes place.
Images courtesy of International Paper