Question

Edible part of ‘sorosis’, a composite fruit, is
A. Cotyledons
B. Endosperm
C. Perianth and Peduncle
D. Fleshy thalamus

Answer 1

Hint: Once the plant is pollinated and fertilized, it leads to the development of a fruit. The fruits are formed from the ovary whereas the ovules within develop into seeds. These are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and thus must be a part of our daily diet for healthy living. Fruits are of three types depending on how or from what they have developed – simple fruits, aggregate fruits, and multiple or composite fruits.

Complete answer:
Simple fruits develop from a single ovary of a single flower. The subtypes in this category include drupes, berries, pomes, hesperidium, and pepos. Pericarp and placenta are the edible parts of simple fleshy berry fruit.
Aggregate fruits develop from many mature ovaries of a single flower.
Composite fruits develop from a complete inflorescence. The two subtypes in this category are sorosis and syconus which develop from catkin, spike, and spadix type of inflorescence and hypanthium type of inflorescence respectively.
Cotyledons: Incorrect answer
Cotyledons are the edible parts of the groundnut. It is not an edible part of a composite fruit.

Endosperm: Incorrect answer
Although endosperms hold great nutritional value and most of the cereals we eat are endosperms, the edible part of a composite fruit is not an endosperm. The edible part of a coconut is the endosperm.

Perianth and peduncle: Correct answer
Jackfruit, mulberry, pineapple are the example of sorosis type of composite fruit in which the perianth and peduncle are the edible parts.

Fleshy thalamus: Incorrect answer
The fleshy thalamus is the edible part of an apple which is an example of pome, a simple fruit. Thus, it is not an edible part of a composite fruit.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: An edible part of the fruit varies depending on the type of fruit. We can understand this by the following table:

S. No	Fruits	Fruit Type	Edible part
1	Mango	Drupe	Mesocarp
2	Plum	Drupe	Epicarp and Mesocarp
3	Tomato	Berry	Pericarp and placenta
4	Papaya	Berry	Mesocarp
5	Banana	Berry	Pericarp and placenta