Macrophotograph of the early stages in the germination of a maize seed, Zea mays. Known popularly as corn, it is a monocotyledonous plant, possessing only one seed leaf. The radicle, later to become the root, breaks through the testa (seed coat) & grows downward into the soil as the first event of germination. A fine fuzz of root hairs are visible over the upper area of the root. The growing tip of the root is coated in a semi-fluid slime, a lubricant produced by cells in the region to ease passage through the soil. The shoot containing the young leaves has recently emerged.