hypocotyl

(hi’p6-kot-il), n. [Short for hypocoty- ledonous stem.] In bot., that part of the axis which is below the cotyledons. Also called the caulicle, and erroneously the radicle. With seedlings the stem which supports the cotyledons (i. e. the organs which represent the first leaves) has been called by many botanists the “hypo cotyledonous stem,” but for brevity’s sake we will speak of it merely as the hypocotyl. Darwin, Movement in Plants, Int., p. 5. By pea sone (hi-p6-kot-i-16’don-a-ri), a. [