WAEC - Biology (2001 - No. 26)
Which of the following statements about the maize grain is not correct?
undergoes hypogeal germination
is a fruit
is non-endospermous
has pericarp fused with the testa
Uitleg
Maize is an endospermous seed. In endospermous seeds, the endosperm is retained within the seed and the embryo utilizes the stored food in the endosperm during germination. Other options are correct. Maize undergoes hypogeal germination where the cotyledons remain underground. It is a fruit because, in botanical terms, a fruit is the mature ovary of a flower. The pericarp of maize is indeed fused with the testa, forming a structure known as the caryopsis