Difference Between Epicotyl and Plumule

The key difference between epicotyl and plumule is that epicotyl is the part of the embryonic axis which lies above the point of attachment of cotyledons while plumule is the tip of the epicotyl which gives rise to the shoot of the new plant.

The seed is the ripened ovule which contains the embryo. Here, the embryo is the miniature plant enclosed within the seed coat. Also, it consists of several parts as cotyledons, plumule, radicle, epicotyl and hypocotyl. Among these, epicotyl is the part that lies above the attachment point of cotyledons. And, plume is the tip of the epicotyl and gives rise to the first true leaves of the new plant. The main focus of this article is the difference between epicotyl and plumule.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Epicotyl
3. What is Plumule
4. Similarities Between Epicotyl and Plumule
5. Side by Side Comparison – Epicotyl vs Plumule in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Epicotyl?

Epicotyl is the part of the seedling that lies above the point of attachment of cotyledons. It ends at the plumule, which is the tip of the epicotyl. Therefore, it is located in between cotyledons and the plumule.

Figure 01: Epicotyl

Epicotyl is one of the important structures of a plant during the early stages of plant life. Importantly, it is the part which is responsible for breaking the surface of the soil in hypogeal germination.

What is Plumule?

Plumule is the tip of the epicotyl and gives the first leaves of the shoot. Thus, plumule is the structure that gives rise to the shoot of the new plant. Also, it includes the meristem as well. When the cotyledons have grown above the ground, the growth of the plumule occurs.

Figure 02: Plumule

In epigeal germination, plumule grows above the ground together with the cotyledons. But, in hypogeal germination, plumule emerges above the ground alone.

What are the Similarities Between Epicotyl and Plumule?

Both epicotyls and plumule are above the point of attachment of cotyledons.
Also, both develop during the seed germination.
Besides, both emerge above the soil surface.

What is the Difference Between Epicotyl and Plumule?

Epicotyl is the part of the seedling that lies above the cotyledons while plumule is the tip of epicotyl which gives rise to the first true leaves of a plant. Thus, this is the key difference between epicotyl and plumule. In fact, epicotyl lies in between cotyledons and the plumule while plumule is at the tip of the epicotyl.

Summary – Epicotyl vs Plumule

Epicotyl and plumule are two important structures of the developing embryo of the seed. In summary, the epicotyl is the part which lies in between the cotyledons and plumule. But, plumule is the tip of the epicotyls and gives rise to the first true leaves of the new plant. So, this is the key difference between epicotyls and plumule.

Reference:

1. “Seedling.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2019, Available here.
2. “plumule.”. “Plumule.” A Dictionary of Biology, Encyclopedia.com, 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Image from page 52 of “Elementary biology; an introduction to the science of life” (1924)” Internet Archive Book Images (No known copyright restrictions) via Flickr
2. “Monocot vs dicot crop Pengo” By w:User:Pengo – This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: crop and paste. The original can be viewed here:-Modifications made by Pengo (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia