Question

In which of the following fruits, the edible part is the aril?
A. Apple
B. Pomegranate
C. Orange
D. Lichi

Answer 1

Hint: Aril is a fleshy part of fruit, and it is present as the external skin of the seeds. Aril of the fruits developed from the seed stalk. When the aril is fully developed it remains the centre of the plant’s pericarp. It saves the seed of the plant.

Complete Answer:
- The aril is an accessory seed covering often formed from an outgrowth at the bare of the ovule.
- A false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the seed to the ovary (from the funiculus or hilum), an arillode forms from a different point on the seed coat.
- In litchi, the aril part produces the edible portion in a nut. It is a specialized outgrowth from the depth of the ovule developing a type of integument.
- Aril is also present in Trianthema, Ulmus and in Asphodelus. In litchi the layers of pericarp such as epicarp and mesocarp together become leathery and the endocarp is membranous.

Thus, the correct option is D.i.e. Lichi.

Note: The aril may create a fruit-like structure, called (among other names) a false fruit. False fruit are present in various Angiosperm species. The edible false fruit of the lichi and ackee fruits are highly developed arils surrounding the seed rather than a pericarp layer. Such arils are also found in a few species of gymnosperms, mainly the yews and related conifers such as the lleuque and the kahikatea.