Plant Seeds

The science of classifying plants is called plant taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is based heavily on the structure (anatomy and morphology) of the plant reproductive parts. In the case of higher plants (flowering plants or angiosperms), the reproductive parts are the flowers and the fruits that develop from fertilization. Seeds of the plant develop inside the ovary as it matures into the plant fruit.

Study the photos of seeds from two plant families, the Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae. You should notice that the seeds from plants in each family have similar morphology (shape). If you were a scientist, how would you describe the seeds of these two families? What characteristics would you choose to help distinguish the seeds of these two families?

Solanaceae

All seed photos from the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University. Used with permission.
http://extension.osu.edu/~seedbio/seed_id/index.html

After you have studied the seeds on this page, go on to the next two pages, where you can test your knowledge.