AMARANTHUS-HYPOCHONDRIACUS - SEED STRUCTURE AND LOCALIZATION OF SEED RESERVES

The mature seed of Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. consists of a periphe ric embryo surrounding the nutritive tissue which is the perisperm. En dosperm remnants are close to the root tip. Cytochemical analysis reve aled that the embryo and endosperm cells had a quite homogenous intern al organization, with protein bodies embedded in a lipid matrix. The e mbryo, however, appears variable in tissue organisation, due to the di fferentiation of the three primary meristematic tissues: the procambiu m appears as a single bundle in the embryonic axis or as small bundles throughout the cotyledons length, these provascular cells are small a nd elongated and with fewer reserves and more cellular organelles than the large protoderm and ground meristem cells. These latter cells hav e more protein bodies, and they show a higher number of larger globoid crystal inclusions than the others. The perisperm is a starchy tissue , and its cells have thin walls and are full of angular starch grains.