What is a seed?
A seed is a small object produced by a plant from which a new plant can grow.
Where do seeds come from? What do they produce?
Seeds come from fruit. When a seed germinates, a plant grows out of it. After the plant matures, it reproduces. For flowering plants, that means they make flowers to attract pollinators. Pollen is delivered to flowers by bees, wind, or a number of other channels. Sperm cells leave the pollen and fertilize the eggs, which are found deep inside the flower. The outer parts of the flower (the parts we think are pretty) then die, but the inner parts that contain the fertilized eggs develop into fruit. All fruits contain seeds (so tomatoes and zucchinis are fruits, not vegetables). The fruit's job is usually either to provide food for the baby plant or to tempt an animal to eat the fruit, spreading the seeds in the process. Once the seeds are out of the fruit and into the ground, they grow into new plants.
Check out more at UCSB Science Line!
Where do seeds come from? What do they produce?
Seeds come from fruit. When a seed germinates, a plant grows out of it. After the plant matures, it reproduces. For flowering plants, that means they make flowers to attract pollinators. Pollen is delivered to flowers by bees, wind, or a number of other channels. Sperm cells leave the pollen and fertilize the eggs, which are found deep inside the flower. The outer parts of the flower (the parts we think are pretty) then die, but the inner parts that contain the fertilized eggs develop into fruit. All fruits contain seeds (so tomatoes and zucchinis are fruits, not vegetables). The fruit's job is usually either to provide food for the baby plant or to tempt an animal to eat the fruit, spreading the seeds in the process. Once the seeds are out of the fruit and into the ground, they grow into new plants.
Check out more at UCSB Science Line!
Things to Know about Seeds
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How Plants Disperse their Seeds
Plants disperse their seeds in lots of different ways. Some seeds are transported by the wind and are shaped to float, glide or spin through the air. Plants growing near a river may use the flowing water to transport their seeds. Some seed pods are designed to explode and throw the seeds a good distance from the parent plant. Many plants also use animals to carry their seeds. This type of seed may have handy hooks which attach to an animal’s fur. Alternatively, the plants might make tasty fruit to enclose the seeds, which attract animals to eat them. |
Watch seeds sprout!
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Seeds are even a part of our regular diet!
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Key Words to Know
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Stem
Flower Roots Leaves Seed |
the main body or stalk of a plant or shrub, typically rising above ground but occasionally under the ground
the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored petals. the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers a flattened structure of a higher plant, typically green and bladelike, that is attached to a stem directly or via a stalk. Leaves are the main organs of photosynthesis A seed is a small object produced by a plant from which a new plant can grow. |
Check out more seed vocabulary!
| seeds_vocabulary.docx |
Many people around the world are dedicated to preserving and storing seeds, so that we can continue growing food and other plants inefinitely!
Cleveland seed bank is right in Ohio!
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Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the largest seed bank in the world. It is built to preserve over 800,000 seeds without power and holds the ability to rebuild world food stores in case of cataclysmic disasters.
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