The stem portion of a plant embryo or seedling located below the cotyledons and above the radicle. In many plants, the hypocotyl elongates during germination to push the cotyledons above the soil surface.
From Greek 'hypo' meaning 'under' or 'below' and 'kotyledon' meaning 'seed leaf.' The term was established in botanical terminology during the development of detailed plant anatomy studies in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The hypocotyl is like a plant's hydraulic lift system! In epigeous germination, it acts as a powerful pushing mechanism that can break through soil crust and lift the heavy cotyledons to the surface, sometimes pushing up objects many times the seedling's weight.
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