Drawing showing seedlings with 5 cotyledon variations. PER = phanerocotylar epigeal with storage cotyledons; PEF=phanerocotylar epigeal with foliaceous cotyledons; CHR = cryptocotylar hypogeal with storage cotyledons; and CER = cryptocotylar epigeal with storage cotyledons.

Cotyledon function can be either leafy & photosynthetic (foliaceous) or thick & fleshy (storage reserve). Here’s a graphic from prometheusprotocols.net. https://bit.ly/4rVsxXV
This graphic does not show every variation. The key to the abbreviations is in the alt text.
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A top-down close-up shows a cluster of small, teardrop-shaped seeds with fine ridges, arranged in a loose arc inside a shallow clear glass dish. The seeds are light to medium brown and tan. Beneath the glass is a wet, speckled gray-beige surface with dark flecks, and faint green writing curves along the rim. Lighting is soft and even. Dominant colors are brown, tan, gray, beige, and a hint of green. Weather is not visible, as this appears to be an indoor scene.

I got my hands one some seeds of Pinanga subterranea, a #palm 🌴 from #Borneo that was described scientifically for the first time in 2023. It is the only known palm so far that flowers and fruits underground! Let's see if the seeds germinate 🙏. #Hawaii #Holualoa

A young Kepel tree seedling. 6 shiny green leaves are visible. Some brown mulch and grass is visible in the background.

Planted a Kepel tree seedling (Stelechocarpus burahol). 1 out of 5 seeds had germinated (Took almost a year). Got the seeds in July 2024. A truly spectacular tree (from SE Asia, Malesia). The flowers and fruits are directly on the trunk (cauliflory) and the fruit is edible.

Purple new leaves of Theobroma grandiflorum. Grass visible in the background.

A new flush of colorful leaves by Theobroma grandiflorum, commonly known as cupuaçu. It is a #cacao relative, native to the Amazon (Brazil 🇧🇷). Growing in #Holualoa #Hawaii.

A small seedling of Theobroma cacao. 4 green leaves are visible. The dark soil is visible in the background.

Who else is growing Theobroma glaucum? We’re stoked to have planted our first seedling—a unique species distinct from the standard cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao). Can’t wait to see its spectacular cauliflory flowers in a few years! #Hawaii #Holualoa #BigIsland

Avocado treed loaded with red flowers of the red jade vine (Mucuna bennettii). Blue sky with some white clouds in the background. On the bottom you see a row of Crinum asiaticum (spider lily).

Closeup of the red flowers of the red jade vine (Mucuna bennettii) on an avocado tree. Blue sky in the background.

Closeup of the red flowers of the red jade vine (Mucuna bennettii) growing on an avocado tree. Some thick grey branches of the avocado tree are visible to the left and the right of the red flowers. Blue sky in the background.

We turbocharged one of our 🥑 avocado trees (Persea americana) with red jade vine (Mucuna bennettii). It is totally taking off this year & provides a constant display of fireworks! #Holualoa #BigIsland #Hawaii

Roughly 12 inflorescences visible of the beehive ginger, latin name Zingiber spectabile, cultivar 'Early Yellow'. Some smaller inflorescences are pure yellow, while others are red on the bottom and fading into a yellow top. The larger stems of the ginger plants are visible in the background. Some of the inflorescences show the small actual flowers are dark purple to yellow in color.

A closeup picture of the dark purple and yellow flower of the ginger plant Zingiber spectabile coming out of the mostly yellow inflorescence (also red/orange at the bottom)

Zingiber spectabile 'Early Yellow' blooming in #Holualoa #Hawaii. This ginger is native to Southeast Asia and is also commonly called the beehive ginger.

The purple flower of Passiflora laurifolia. Some green vegetation in the background.

The amazing flower of Passiflora laurifolia, a passionfruit species from neotropical America that is commonly called "water lemon". It is growing here in #Holualoa #Hawaii.

The bottom of a palm with roughly 12 bright red roots visible.

A picture with thick tropical foliage. The palm Prestoea ensiformis in the center. Several red roots faintly visible at the bottom of the palm.

Prestoea ensiformis showing off its colorful roots! P. ensiformis is a neotropical palm that grows in #Colombia, #CostaRica, #Ecuador, #Panama, and #Peru. The specimen in our collection is mildly clustering and is growing in a moist shady spot since 2017. #Holualoa #Hawaii

The red flower of Amherstia nobilis (Pride of Burma) with a hint of yellow.

The tree of Amherstia nobilis (Pride of Burma). Lots of visible green leaves. One red flower of the tree visible to the left.

The tropical tree Amherstia nobilis (Pride of Burma) is such an amazing little tree! Flowing in #Holualoa #Hawaii