Question

The edible dry fruit ‘chilgoza’ is
A. Fruits of Cycas
B. Fruit of Pinus gerardiana
C. Seed of Cycas
D. Seed of Pinus gerardiana

Answer 1

Hint: Plants are grown in different regions due to the climatic atmosphere there. Some have flowers while some do not have them. There are various parts of the plant that are edible. Those parts are matured enough to be eaten raw or cooked. They usually are good for health as they contain nutrients.

Complete answer:
Chilgoza belongs to the Pinus genus. It has the binomial name as Pinus gerardiana.
It is rich in carbohydrates and proteins. These seeds are commercially sold as chilgoza in the market.

> Option A: Fruits of Cycas: Cycas belongs to the Cycads group of gymnosperms. They don't have flowers or fruits. They look like palm trees with no branches.

> Option B: Fruit of Pinus gerardiana: Fruit of this pine is formed from the seed which is edible. They are called chilgoza.

> Option C: Seed of Cycas: The cycads have naked seeds. They do not produce fruits and they are not edible.

> Option D: Seed of Pinus gerardiana: The Pinus gerardiana seeds are called chilgoza which is commercially sold as they are edible fruit. They are nutritious. They have a good content of proteins.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Neja is the other name of chilgoza pine. They grow in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan majorly. They exist in combination with Cedrus and Pinus trees. Chilgoza is very expensive as it takes approximately 3 years to get matured enough to be consumed. They are difficult to harvest. They are very tiny and brown.