Question

The fruit of coconut is
a. Nut
b. Drupe
c. Berry
d. Samara

Answer 1

Hint: The fruit of a plant contains the seed which is well covered. Fruits have three layers, the epicarp, the mesocarp, and the endocarp. Coconut contains only one seed inside the mesocarp.

Complete answer:
> Option A:
In a nut, the woody, leathery and harder pericarp is found. It sometimes develops from a compound pistil and sometimes from a simple pistil with an inferior or superior uniovular ovary. For example, in the case of litchi, the pericarp is leathery and hard.

> Option B:
In drupe, the fruit wall or pericarp is differentiated into thin skin or epicarp with stony endocarp and fleshy mesocarp. This middle layer is juicy and succulent. As can be seen in coconut, the mesocarp is the edible part that is fibrous and juicy. It contains a single seed. The hard-stony layer is called the pit and often confused with the seed.

> Option C:
The fleshy fruit Berry has no hard part, except the seeds. One of the layers among the epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp from the pulp in which the seeds are embedded. The true berries are derived from the superior ovaries and false berries are derived from the inferior ovaries. Brinjal, grape are some examples of true berries. Bananas, guava are examples of false berries.

> Option D:
Samara develops from a monocarpic pistil with a single- ovule and unilocular ovary. The expanded pericarp forms wings, which help in dispersal. An example of this type is Elm. It is produced by flowering plants. It does not split open to release seeds and is thus called as indehiscent fruit.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Drupes can float long distances as their outer layer is hard. Coconut has a large seed, so it may not get dispersed easily. The coconut has fibrous mesocarp. This type of fruit is classified as a fibrous drupe. The middle layer of such fruits is juicy and succulent.