The wheat grain

Abstract

The fruits of most plants contain one or more seeds which, at ripeness, can be easily separated from the rest of the fruit tissue. For Gramineae this is different: a fertilized egg cell in the ovary develops into a single seed, comprising the whole fruit. Fruit wall (pericarp) and seed coat are united (Figure 2.1), as a result the seed and fruit cannot be separated. This type of fruit, which is characteristic for all grasses, including cereals, is given the botanical term of caryopsis.