Scutellum (botany)

The scutellum is part of the structure of a barley and rice^[1] seed—the modified seed leaf.

The scutellum (from the Latin scutella meaning "small shield") can also refer to the equivalence of a thin cotyledon in monocots (especially members of the grass family). It is very thin with high surface area, and serves to absorb nutrients from the endosperm during germination.^{[2][full citation needed][page needed]}

The scutellum is believed to contain an as yet unidentified protein transporter that facilitates starch movement from the endosperm to the embryo.