Question

Fruit of litchi is
a) Caryopsis
b) Nut
c) Berry
d) Drupe

Answer 1

Hint: Only flowering plants can produce fruit . The fleshy and dry ripened ovary of a flowering plant which enclosed the seeds is called fruit.

Complete Answer:
>The first option is caryopsis, this fruit belongs to the family Poaceae in which the wall of ovary fuses with the seed coat. So this is the wrong option.
>Option b is nut which is correct option because litchi is the member of the family sapindaceae in
which the fleshy translucent layer called aril covers the seed instead of the ripened ovary. Hard outer covering enclosing the seed which is dry.Hence it is a nut fruit .
>Option c is berry.They are a simple type of fruit in which ripened ovary is the edible part.Hence option c is also wrong.
>Option d is drupe which is the true fruit with a stony endocarp. Example of drupe fruit is peaches. Hence option d is also wrong.

Additional information:
The development of fruit occurs from a ripe ovary or any floral parts on the basis of floral parts. Fruits are of three types: 1)simple fruit (2) aggregate fruit (3)composite fruit
(i) simple Fruits: in simple fruit the ovary is monocarpellary syncarpous and gynoecium forms only one fruit.
 (ii) Aggregate fruit: the fruit develops from an apocarpous ovary. Each carpel is separated from one another. in them the fruit makes a bunch of fruitlets.

Thus option ‘b’ is the correct answer.

Note: The seed is surrounded by the layer called pericarp. Pericarp is the edible part of the fruit. Some fruits are seedless. They are called parthenocarpic fruit. For example banana