Morphology of Flowering Plants - Notes | Class 11 | Part 5: The Fruit and Seed

Morphology of Flowering Plants - The Fruit and Seed

The Fruit

  • It is a ripened ovary developed after fertilisation.
  • It is a characteristic feature of the flowering plants.
  • A fruit formed without fertilisation of the ovary is called parthenocarpic fruit.
  • In mango & coconut, fruit is called a drupe. They are one seeded and develop from monocarpellary superior ovaries.
  • A fruit consists of:
    • Pericarp (fruit wall): It may be dry or fleshy. Thick and fleshy pericarp is differentiated into outer epicarp, middle mesocarp and inner endocarp.
    • Seeds
  • In mango, the pericarp is well differentiated into thin epicarp, fleshy edible mesocarp and stony hard endocarp.
  • In coconut, the mesocarp is fibrous.
Fruit structure diagram

The Seed

  • It is the mature ovule developed after fertilisation.
  • A seed is made up of a seed coat and an embryo.
  • Embryo is made up of a radicle, an embryonal axis and one (e.g. wheat, maize) or two cotyledons (e.g. gram & pea).

Structure of a Dicotyledonous Seed

  • The outermost covering of a seed is the seed coat.
  • Seed coat has 2 layers: outer testa and inner tegmen.
  • On the seed coat, there is a scar called hilum through which the developing seeds are attached to the fruit.
  • Above the hilum is a small pore called the micropyle.
  • Within the seed coat is the embryo, consisting of an embryonal axis and two cotyledons.
  • The cotyledons are often fleshy and full of reserve food materials. At the two ends of the embryonal axis, the radicle and plumule are present.
  • In some seeds such as castor, the endosperm is formed due to double fertilisation. It is a food storing tissue.
  • In plants such as bean, gram and pea, the seeds are non-endospermous (endosperm is not seen in mature seeds).
Dicotyledonous seed structure diagram

Structure of Monocotyledonous Seed

  • Generally, monocot seeds are endospermic but some are non-endospermic (e.g. orchids).
  • In cereals such as maize, the seed coat is membranous and generally fused with the fruit wall.
  • The endosperm is bulky and stores food.
  • The outer covering of endosperm separates the embryo by a protein layer called aleurone layer.
  • The embryo is small and situated in a groove at one end of the endosperm. It consists of one large and shield shaped cotyledon known as scutellum and a short axis with a plumule and a radicle.
  • The plumule is protected in a sheath called coleoptile and radicle is protected in a sheath called coleorhiza.
Monocotyledonous seed structure diagram

3 Comments

  1. wow thanks for this notes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    it is really helpfull for exams
    thank again
    by gaurav s.k

    ReplyDelete
  2. your notes are helpful thank you if anyone asks for phy chem notes tell them to refer arihant all in one or you can publish

    ReplyDelete
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