Question

A simple one-seeded dry, indehiscent fruit in which pericarp and testa are fused is
(a) Nut
(b) Achene
(c) Cypsela
(d) Caryopsis

Answer 1

A simple one-seeded dry, indehiscent fruit in which pericarp and testa are fused is usually seen in grasses and cereals i.e family Poaceae or Gramineae. This is Indehiscent fruit which does not split along definite lines to release seeds at the time of maturity.

Complete step by step answer:
- The fruit is known to be the edible fleshy part of the plant that is consumed and obtained from the ripened ovary.
- Caryopsis is a fruit that is very simple and has only one seed, dry, and indehiscent fruit in which both the pericarp and testa are fused.
- In this fruit wall and the seed is intimately fused into a single unit. It is commonly known as grain.
So, the correct answer is ‘Caryopsis '.

Additional Information: The fruit is defined as a fleshy or dried but ripened ovary of a flowering plant which encloses single or multiple seeds. The outer edible part in the normal fruits is found to be made from pericarp which was formed by the ovary and this fleshy part only surrounds the seed. The pericarp consists of three layers. The names of these layers from outside to inside are- the epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp.
- Achene is a small, dry one-seeded fruit but this fruit does not open to release the seed.
- Nut is a type of fruit that has edible seed and is covered with a hard inedible shell.
- Cypsela is a dry single-seeded fruit formed from a double ovary of which the only one of it gets developed into a seed, as it is seen within the daisy family.

Note: Not all fruits have seeds present in them. Seedless fruits are also present. Parthenocarpy is known as the process of the natural or artificial production of fruit without fertilization of ovules. For example, seedless bananas and grapes are commonly produced by this method.