Question

The edible part of the fruit of apple is?
A. Endocarp
B. Thalamus
C. Pericarp
D. Perianth

Answer 1

Hint: An apple, strawberry, cashew etc are the false fruit. In these types of fruit, the flesh part is not formed from the floral ovary rather it formed from some adjacent tissue exterior to the carpal.

Complete answer:
After fertilization, the ovary develops into the fruit and ovules developed into the seeds. We can also say the fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. In most of the fleshy fruit, the outer layer typically edible part is the Pericarp. It is tissues that developed from the ovary wall. It surrounded the seeds to protect it. In some fruits, the edible parts of the fruit do not develop from the ovary; instead, it may develop from the aril. The aril is the special type of outgrowth that covers the seed. For example in case of pomegranate, or pineapple is a tissue of the stem and flower provide food. Similar in the case of apples and other false fruits the thalamus contributes to the formation of the fruits. The thalamus formed most of the fleshy part in the apple fruits. It may also form from the calyx.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Additional information:
Fruits are classified under three main anatomical groups such as simple fruits, aggregate fruits and multiple fruits. The simple fruits are developed from the one ovary and may contain one or more than one ovaries. These fruits can be fleshy like guava, mango, etc or can be dry like mustard, groundnuts, etc. in fleshy fruits, the Pericarp or other accessory parts of the flower become the edible parts. The aggregate fruits are developed from a single compound flower. It may consist of many fruitlets or ovaries such as in blackberries. The multiple fruits are developed from the fused ovaries of multiple flowers.

Note: The Pericarp is made up of the three different layers. The epicarp is the outermost layer, followed by the mesocarp, the middle layer and the endocarp is the inner layer. The inner layer surrounded the seed or the ovary. These layers are not distinguishable in dry fruits. In citrus fruits, the peel is made by the epicarp and mesocarp layers.