Eriocaulaceae (Figs 5D–H and 6). The seedlings of this
family show extreme organ reductions similar to
Mayacaceae. Here again, the cotyledon is reduced to its
haustorial part inside the seed. There is no indication of a
cotyledonary sheath that could embrace the first eophyll.
The root pole does not develop a radicle or a primary
root. In several species, details of seedling structure are
obscured by dense hairs around the base of the first leaf
(Fig. 6). The rhizoids of the collar region may be short
and thick or long and slender (Figs 5E and 6). The first
endogenous root breaks through the collar opposite the
plumule. This is close to the behaviour of the Poaceae
embryo