Students dissect a lima bean that has been soaking in water for several hours.
Lima Bean Dissection
1. Draw a picture of what your bean looks like
2. Describe what it looks like in words
3. What is the white outer covering on the bean
called?
4. Try and take off the white seed coat. Why do you think it’s so hard?
5. Draw a picture of what your lima
bean looks like inside. Label
STORED FOOD, EMBRYO,
COTYLEDON, and SEED COAT
Questions
1. What is the purpose of the stored food inside the seed?
2. What does germinate mean?
3. What does fertilization mean?
4. What is the cotyledon?
5. What is the embryo?
6. What three things do seeds need to germinate?