Question

Geocarpic fruit is
a. Mango
b. Orange
c. Water melon
d. Peanut

Answer 1

Hint: Geocarpy is most frequent in tropical or semi-desert areas, and geocarpic species is also found within the families Araceae, Begoniaceae, Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), Callitrichaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), Loganiaceae, Moraceae and Rubiaceae.

Complete answer:
 In order to answer this question we need to know about geocarpy.

Geocarpy is a particularly rare means of plant reproduction or ripening the fruit beneath the surface of the bottom within which plants produce diaspores within the soil. This could occur with subterranean flowers, or from aerial flowers, parts of which penetrate the soil after flowering. It’s evolved as a good means of ensuring an appropriate environment for the plant's offspring. Geocarpy is additionally linked with solifluction soils, where rapid thawing and freezing of dirt causes almost continuous movement. This phenomenon is prevalent in high altitude areas of geographic areas.

Peanut, (Arachis hypogaea), legume of the legume family (Fabaceae), grown for its edible seeds. Hypogaea means under the world, after pollination, the scape elongates, causing it to bend until the ovary touches the bottom. Continued stalk growth then pushes the ovary underground, where the mature fruit develops into a legume pod. Seeds are rich in protein and fat. However, still peanut isn't a real nut. Peanut is an annual, erect shrubby plant, with short branches, high with long branches that lie near the soil. Stems are hairy and bear pinnately compound leaves with two pairs of leaflets. The flowers are borne within the axils of the leaves and have golden-yellow petals. An unusual stalk-like structure called a peg grows from the bottom of the flower toward the soil. The fertilized ovules are carried downward until the tip is well below the soil surface, the peg tip starts to become the characteristic pod. The fruits function as roots to a point, absorbing mineral nutrients directly from soil. The pods don't develop properly unless the soil around them is well furnished with available calcium. Geocarpic plants tend to measure in areas that are harsh. Seasonal fires, extreme drought, and repeated freezing and thawing (solifluction) can make plants difficult. Due to all this uncertainty, these plants have decided that it's better to push their flowers underground to grow to be fruit.

Therefore, the correct answer is d, peanut.

Additional information: Geocarpy occurs in Arum lilies (Stylochiton and Biarum), during which the flowers are already subterranean, or the active burying of fruits by the mother plant, as within the peanut (Arachis hypogaea).

Note: There are three varieties of geocarpy: hysteroscopy, amphicarpic, and proto geocarpy. If the ovaries are fertilized above ground so pushed underground, it's called hysteroscopy. Peanuts are hysteroscopic. If just some of the fruits are pushed underground, it's called amphicarpic. Proto Geocarpic reproduction is basically wild. These plants produce their flowers underground. In addition to peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), South African bitter cress (Cardamine hirsuta) and also the Genuflecting plant (Spigelia genuflexa) also use this unique method of reproduction.