Seedlings of Zea mays L. (maize), Poaceae, and Pterogyne nitens Tul. (wild peanut), Leguminosae, are described morphologically and anatomically in order to characterize the species, but particularly to disseminate the terminology about the seedling, which is little known by non-specialist researchers and undergraduate students. Seedlings were obtained in the laboratory, using Petri dishes. Seedling was considered as the initial plant development phase, which comprises the period from germination to formation of the eophyll. Zea mays seedling is hypogeal and cryptocotyledonous, and it consists of coleorhiza, considered the primary root, endogenous embryonic root, commonly considered in the literature as radicle, reduced hypocotyl, and coleoptile, considered here as eophyll. The second seedling leaf of Z. mays is made up of uniseriate epidermis and homogeneous mesophyll. Pterogyne nitens exhibits epigeal and phanerocotyledonous seedling, and consists of primary root, long hypocotyl, two cotyledons, epicotyl, and opposite eophylls difoliolated or trifoliolated. The hypocotyl has root/shoot transition structure and the eophylls are dorsiventral consisting of one cell layer palisade parenchyma and pluriseriate spongy parenchyma. Seedlings of both species show significant morphological and anatomical differences and specific terminology, especially that of Z. mays.
Aluminium uptake sites in the primary root of Zea mays L.
