In many dicots, food reserves of the endosperm are exported to the cotyledons, thus mature seeds have no endosperm. The zygote's first mitotic division is transverse, creating a larger basal cell and a smaller terminal cell. The basal cell divides transversely to form the suspensor , which anchors the embryo and transfers nutrients to it from the parent plant. The terminal cell divides several time to form a spherical proembryo attached to the suspensor.
Cotyledons appear as bumps on the proembryo and the embryo elongates.
The apical meristem of the embryonic shoot is located between the cotyledons. The basal cell gives rise to part of the root meristem in some species. After germination, the apical meristems at the root and shoot tips will sustain primary growth. The embryo also contains protoderm , ground meristem and procambium . Two features of plant form are established during embryogenesis.