Fruits and seeds

Seed germination

• Absorption of water
• Emergence of the radicle
• Shoot emerges:
• In dicots the hypocotyl elongates and breaks through the soil
• In monocots the coleoptile emerges protecting the epicotyl tip
• Soon after the tissues are exposed to sunlight, they develop chlorophyll and begin to photosynthesize

Tomatoes

• Native to Andes Mts in South America
• First cultivated in Mexico
• Spanish Conquistadors introduced tomatoes to Europe in the 16th century

What is in a name?

• Name among native peoples in Mexico was tomatl
• In Europe there were lots of names for this fruit - love apple or pomme d’amour was the French name
• Scientific name Lycopersicum esculentum (meaning edible wolf peach)

Poisonous Relatives

• Member of the family Solanaceae (called the potato or tomato family)
• Family known for its poisonous plants
• Also called the nightshade family because of deadly nightshade and henbane
• Also called tobacco family