Question

Why certain angiospermic seeds are albuminous while others are exalbuminous? Explain.

Answer 1

Certain angiospermic seeds are albuminous because they retain a part of the endosperm tissue, which nourishes the seedling during its early development (e.g., wheat, maize, castor). These seeds have thin, membranous cotyledons. In contrast, exalbuminous seeds utilize the endosperm completely during embryo development, leaving no residual endosperm in the mature seed; here, cotyledons become thick and fleshy to store food (e.g., pea, groundnut). Typically, monocot seeds are albuminous, while dicots can be either albuminous or exalbuminous, depending on whether the endosperm persists or is absorbed by the embryo during development.