By alphabetical order:
- albuminous
albumineuse/endospermée (French), albuminada/endospermada (Spanish)
That relates to, contains, or resembles albumen (an albuminous seed). - allochory
allochorie (French), allocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds induced by an external vector or agent (wind, water, animal or others). - anemochory
anémochorie (French), anemocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds induced by wind. - anthropochory/hemerochory
anthropocorie/hémérochorie (French), antropocoria/hemerocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds through humans. - aril
arille (French), arilo (Spanish)
An exterior covering or appendage of some seeds (as of the yew) that develops after fertilization as an outgrowth from the ovule stalk. - autochory
autochorie (French), autocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds by the plant without the help of an external vector. - ballochory
ballochorie (French), ballocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds through the explosive dehiscence of the fruit. - barochory
barochorie (French), barocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds induced by gravity. - coleoptile
coléoptile (French), coleoptilo (Spanish)
Pointed protective sheath covering the emerging shoot in monocotyledons such as grasses. - cotyledon
cotylédon (French), cotiledón (Spanish)
Embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed. - diplochory
diplochorie (French), diplocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds that takes place in more than one stage, generally by different methods. - dormancy
dormance (French), dormancia (Spanish)
Evolutionary adaptation that prevents seeds from germinating during unsuitable ecological conditions that would typically lead to a low probability of seedling survival. True dormancy is referred to as a state in which seeds are prevented from germinating even under environmental conditions normally favorable for germination. - elaiosome
élaïosome (French), eleosoma (Spanish)
Fleshy structure riches in lipids and proteins attached to the seeds of certain plant species. - embryo
embryon (French), embrión (Spanish)
In seed plants, part of a seed that is made up of precursor tissues for leaves, stem, roots, and one or more cotyledons. - endogenous dormancy
dormance endogène (French), dormancia endógena (Spanish)
Form of dormancy caused by conditions within the embryo itself, often broken down into three main subgroups: physiological dormancy (prevents embryo growth and seed germination until chemical changes occur), morphological dormancy (underdeveloped or undifferentiated embryo) and combined dormancy (seeds have both morphological and physiological dormancy). - endosperm
endosperme (French), endospermo (Spanish)
Food-storing tissue around the embryo inside a seed, produced after the double fertilization of most of the flowering plants. - epicotyl
épicotyle (French), epicótilo (Spanish)
Embryonic shoot located above the cotyledons from which the first leaves emerge. - exalbuminous
exalbuminée (French), exalbuminada (Spanish)
(of a seed embryo) Having no albumen. - exogenous dormancy
dormance exogène (French), dormancia exógena (Spanish)
Form of dormancy caused by conditions outside the embryo, often broken down into three subgroups: physical dormancy (caused by an impermeable seed coat), mechanical dormancy (when seed coats or other coverings are too hard to allow the embryo to expand during germination), and chemical dormancy (includes growth regulators, etc., that are present in the coverings around the embryo). - germination
germination (French), germinación (Spanish)
Growth of a plant contained within a seed, resulting in the formation of the seedling or emergence and development from the seed embryo of essential structures (complete root and shoot axis) indicative of the ability to produce a normal plant under favorable conditions. - hilum
hile (French), hilio (Spanish)
Scar or mark left on a seed coat by the former attachment to the ovary wall or to the funiculus (which in turn attaches to the ovary wall). - hydrochory
hydrochorie (French), hidrocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds through water. - hypocotyl
hypocotyle (French), hipocótilo (Spanish)
Stem of a germinating seedling, located below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle (root). - intermediate seed
Seeds that do not fit either orthodox or recalcitrant seed categories. Tend to age faster than orthodox seeds when stored at conventional freezer temperatures (-20°C), having only a 5-year lifespan on average. Longevity of seeds increases when dried between 45 and 65% RH. - myrmecochory
myrmécochorie (French), mirmecocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds by ants. - orthodox seed
semence orthodoxe (French), semilla ortodoxa (Spanish)
Seeds which can be dried to internal seed moisture of less than 12%, stored at freezing temperatures, and survive during ex situ conservation. - plumule
plumule (French), plúmula (Spanish)
Primary shoot or stem of a plant embryo that is typically located at the end of the hypocotyl. - pyriscence
pyriscence (French), pyriscence (Spanish)
Adaptation to an environment in which fires are regular and where maturation and release of seeds is triggered, in whole or in part, by fire or smoke. - quiescence
quiescence (French), quiescencia (Spanish)
Resting state of a seed in the absence of suitable germination conditions. - radicle
radicule (French), radícula (Spanish)
Embryonic root and first part of a seedling to emerge from the seed during the process of germination. Grows downward in the soil, with the shoot emerging from the plumule. - recalcitrant seed
semence récalcitrante (French), semilla recalcitrante (Spanish)
Seeds that do not survive the effects of drying or temperatures less than 20°C during ex situ conservation. Seeds from fruit trees such as avocado, mango, mangosteen and lychee fall in this category. - scarification
scarification (French), escarificatión (Spanish)
Process of weakening, opening, or otherwise altering the coat of a seed to encourage germination. - serotiny
sérotinie (French), serótina (Spanish)
Ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation. - stratification
stratification (French), estratificatión (Spanish)
Process of treating seeds to simulate natural conditions that the seeds must experience before germination can occur. - tegmen
tégument (French), tegumento (Spanish)
Inner integument of a seed. - testa
testa (French), testa (Spanish)
Outer, protective covering of a seed; commonly called seed coat. - vigor
vigeur (French), vigor (Spanish)
Seed properties which determine the potential for rapid, uniform emergence and development of normal seedlings under a wide range of field conditions. - zoochory
zoochorie (French), zoocoria (Spanish)
Dispersal of seeds, spores or fruits by animals.