PROBLEM: Can you differentiate between a monocot and a dicot seed?

PREDICTION:  

MATERIALS: 24 hour soaked corn and bean seeds, dilute iodine solution, 1 peanut in shell, hand lens or microscope

PROCEDURE I.  

CORN SEED

1. Examine the soaked corn seed your instructor has cut in half. Add dilute iodine solution to one half of the seed. Make a careful drawing of exactly what you see using a hand lens or a microscope.
     
2. The part which turns blue-black is the endosperm, the light purple area is the cotyledon. Be sure to label your drawing.
     
3. Can you find the young leaves inside the seed? 
    How many are there? 
    Which part of the seed do you think is the seed coat? 

BEAN SEED

1. Carefully remove the seed coat from the bean seed and examine what you find.
     
2. Separate the two halves of the bean seed with your fingers. Be careful you don't damage the sample.
     
3. Again, apply dilute iodine solution to one half and make an accurate drawing.
      
4. Can you find the endosperm, young leaves (how many?) cotyledon?_______________, and seed coat? ________________.
     
5. Try to open another corn seed like you did the bean seed. Can you do it?

PROCEDURE II.  

Using the peanut, carefully illustrate the following sequence on the back of the paper: 1. the peanut with shell 2. the peanut in open shell. 3. a cut section of the peanut (label seed coat, cotyledon, and endosperm) Is this a monocot or dicot? 

CONCLUSION: