Hypogeal germination

Because the cotyledon stays below the ground, it is much less vulnerable to, for example, night-frost [1] or grazing.

Plants that show hypogeal germination need relatively little in the way of external nutrients to grow, therefore they are more frequent on nutrient-poor soils.

[2] Plants that show hypogeal germination grow relatively slowly, especially in the first phase.

Some genera in which this happens are: In 1965, botanist James A. Duke introduced the terms cryptocotylar ("hidden cotyledon") and phanerocotylar ("visible cotyledon") as synonyms for hypogeal and epigeal respectively, because he didn't consider these terms etymologically correct.

[3] Later, it was discovered that there are rare cases of species where the germination is epigeal and cryptocotylar such as Rollinia salicifolia.