Question

Maize grain is a fruit known as

Answer 1

Hint: Maize is a monocotyledonous plant that contains a fertilized ovary and a mature ovule. The outer layer of maize is fused with the seed coat which as a whole is known as the kernel. The structure of maize grain is yellow with a triangular shape. The embryo is present in a small opaque oval-shaped whitish structure.

Complete answer:
The maize grain is a fruit and a seed. Seeds are formed by the maturation and ripening of the ovule, whereas fruit is formed by the maturation and ripening of the ovary. Moreover, the walls of the ripened ovary are fused. It, therefore, has a ripened ovary, so known as a caryopsis. Caryopsis is a term used for small, dry, indehiscent, single-seeded fruits that are developed from a monocarpellary ovary. Here the pericarp is fused with the seed coat. Therefore, the maize grain is a fruit known as a caryopsis.

Embryo consists of one large shield-shaped cotyledon known as scutellum in maize.

Note:
The maize is a monocotyledonous plant that contains a fertilized ovary and a mature ovule. fruit is known as caryopsis as there is no thickening of the ovary wall to form the fruit, but the seed coat and the fruit coat are fused. Moreover, the walls of the ripened ovary are fused as the kernel.

Additional information:
The longitudinal structure of the seed has the following structures-
Seed coat: It is a thin layer surrounding the whole grain that is made up of the fused ovule and the ovary wall.
Endosperm: There are two unequal portions divided by a layer of epithelium. The bigger portion is the endosperm which is yellowish or whitish used as a food storage tissue of the grain. The other side of the endosperm lies an opaque body called the embryo.