How Does a Seed Become a Tree?
How Does a Seed Become a Tree? Inside a tree seed are the beginnings of the root, trunk, and leaves of a fully grown tree. They form the part of a seed called the “embryo” (EM-bree-oh). Also packed inside a seed is a supply of food for the young tree. When the seed falls on moist ground and the temperature is right, the tiny embryo starts to grow.
The root pokes its way through the protecting seed coat and begins to grow down ward. Then the stem and the first leaves push upward into the sunlight. Now the seedling starts making its own food. It will grow into a whole tree and make seeds of its own.
Seeds are the primary way that trees reproduce and their seeds vary greatly in size and shape. Some of the largest seeds come from trees, but the largest tree, Sequoiadendron giganteum, produces one of the smallest tree seeds. The great diversity in tree fruits and seeds reflects the many different ways that tree species have evolved to disperse their offspring.