All mysteries
Mystery #1Tier 1-2biology / plants

What is a seed, and how can a tiny seed grow into a huge plant?

A sunflower seed is smaller than your fingernail, yet plant it and it can grow taller than you, with a thick stem, broad leaves and a flower the size of a dinner plate. How can something so huge be packed inside something so tiny?

A row of bean seeds at stages of germination, from a dry bean to a sprout with a root, shoot and first green leaves.
Photo: B. Domangue, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What's your hunch about what's inside a seed, and how it becomes a whole big plant?

There's no single magic word to type, have a go in your own words, then reveal the answer to see how close you got.

Make a guess to unlock the hints and the answer.