User:Saintrain/B/Scutellum (botany)

The scutellum (from the Latin scutella meaning "small shield") refers to the cotyledon (modified seed leaf) in monocots (especially members of the grass family). It is very thin (high surface area) and digests and absorbs the starches from the endosperm and transfers nutrients to the embryo during germination. The scutellum and embryo comprise the germ. In contrast to the cotyledons of dicots, which are the first, sprouting leaves, the scutellum is