Hypocotyl

Part of the embryonic shoot between the root and the cotyledon

When a seed germinates, the embryonic root, or radicle, appears first. It forces its way through the seed-coat into the soil and provides the seedling with nutrients and water. Next, the bud forms, from which one or two embryonic leaves (cotyledons) appear. However, in maize, which is a dicotyledonous plant, the hypocotyl hardly grows at all, and the cotyledons remain in the ground.