Biology · Morphology of Flowering Plants · NEET
| Other name | Albuminous | Exalbuminous |
| Endosperm at maturity | Present, retained as food | Absent / used up by embryo |
| Main food store | Endosperm | Cotyledons (thick) |
| Examples | Castor, maize, wheat, rice, coconut, barley | Pea, bean, gram, groundnut |
| Cotyledons | Thin, leaf-like | Thick, fleshy, food-filled |
Yes. Albuminous and endospermic mean the same seed type: the endosperm stays as the food store. Exalbuminous and non-endospermic also mean the same: the endosperm is used up and food is stored in the cotyledons. NCERT uses both word pairs, so NEET can ask either word.
No. Endosperm still forms after double fertilisation. But in a non-endospermic seed the growing embryo eats up this endosperm during seed development, so almost none is left at maturity. The food moves into the fleshy cotyledons. So it is 'endosperm used up', not 'endosperm never made'.
The big size comes from thick, food-filled cotyledons, not from endosperm. During development the embryo absorbed the endosperm and stored that food in its two cotyledons. So pea, bean, gram and groundnut are non-endospermic (exalbuminous).
This is the common trap and it is WRONG as a rule. Most cereals (maize, wheat, rice) are endospermic monocots, but castor (Ricinus) is an endospermic DICOT. And some monocots can lack endosperm too. Judge by whether endosperm remains as food, not by monocot vs dicot.
Castor (Ricinus communis) is endospermic (albuminous). It is a dicot but keeps a large oily endosperm, so it is the classic NCERT example of an endospermic dicot seed. This breaks the 'dicot = non-endospermic' shortcut.
Perisperm is the leftover, dried remains of the nucellus that persists in some seeds (e.g. black pepper, beet). Endosperm forms from the primary endosperm nucleus after double fertilisation. A seed can be non-endospermic yet still show perisperm, so do not confuse the two.
Match List I with List II: A. Scutellum; B. Non-albuminous seed; C. Epiblast; D. Perisperm. List II: I. Persistent nucellus; II. Cotyledon of Monocot seed; III. Groundnut; IV. Rudimentary cotyledon. Choose the option with all correct matches.
In the seeds of cereals, the outer covering of endosperm separates the embryo by a protein-rich layer called:
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Endospermic (albuminous): castor, maize, wheat, rice, coconut, barley. Non-endospermic (exalbuminous): pea, bean, gram, groundnut. Remember castor is the endospermic DICOT that examiners love.
In endospermic seeds food is stored in the endosperm (a triploid tissue from double fertilisation). In non-endospermic seeds food is stored in the two thick cotyledons of the embryo, because the endosperm was used up during development.
The aleurone layer is the outermost protein-rich layer of the endosperm in cereals. It separates the endosperm from the embryo. Because it belongs to the endosperm, the aleurone layer is only discussed for endospermic (cereal) seeds.
Yes. Perisperm is leftover nucellus, not endosperm. Endosperm presence and perisperm presence are separate features, so a seed can lack endosperm yet still show perisperm.
Match-the-column and one-liner questions repeatedly test seed type, examples and the aleurone/perisperm terms (asked in NEET 2025). Knowing that castor is an endospermic dicot and groundnut is a non-endospermic dicot saves you from the standard NTA trap.
