Life Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of The Seed Coat In The After-Ripening Process Of American Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana L.), Jason E. Cox

Honors Theses

As plants evolve into new forms and shapes, the reproductive structures are often the last to change because of the importance of successful reproductive organs to the survival of the plant's hereditary information. Because of this particular feature, one very common method of determining how advanced a species is evolutionarily is the study of its reproductive cycle (Gifford and Foster, 1989). A few advanced classes, most notably the general class groupings of the Gymnosperms and Angiosperms, have developed seeds as a part of their reproductive cycle. Normally, there are several stages through which the seed must go in order for …