Biology · Plant Kingdom · NEET
In angiosperms the ovules (which become seeds) are inside a closed structure called the ovary. After fertilisation the ovary grows into a fruit, and the seeds stay covered inside that fruit. So the seed is never exposed. This is the opposite of gymnosperms, where seeds sit naked on the surface of scales with no fruit. NEET loves this one-line contrast: angiosperm = seeds enclosed in fruit; gymnosperm = naked seeds.
The male gamete travels down the pollen tube. In angiosperms TWO fusions happen. One male gamete fuses with the egg to form the zygote (this is syngamy, gives 2n). The second male gamete fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the endosperm (this is triple fusion, gives 3n). Because two fusion events happen, it is called double fertilisation. This happens ONLY in angiosperms - a favourite NEET point.
The endosperm in angiosperms is triploid (3n). It forms when one male gamete (n) fuses with two polar nuclei (n + n). So n + n + n = 3n. The endosperm stores food for the growing embryo. Do not confuse it with gymnosperm endosperm, which is haploid (n) and forms before fertilisation from the female gametophyte.
Yes. Angiosperms are split into two classes based on the number of cotyledons (seed leaves) in the seed. Monocotyledons have one cotyledon (example: wheat, maize, grass). Dicotyledons have two cotyledons (example: pea, mango, sunflower). Both are flowering plants with enclosed seeds, so both are angiosperms.
The seed develops from the fertilised ovule. The fruit develops from the whole ovary wall after fertilisation. So the fruit is the outer covering, and one or more seeds sit inside it. Only angiosperms make true fruits, because only they have a closed ovary. This is why a mango (fruit with seed inside) is an angiosperm.
Which one of the following is the characteristic feature of gymnosperms?
Match List I (Plant group) with List II (Example): A. Pteridophyte, B. Bryophyte, C. Angiosperm, D. Gymnosperm and I. Salvia, II. Ginkgo, III. Polytrichum, IV. Salvinia. Choose the option with all correct matches.
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Angiosperms are flowering plants. They produce flowers, and their seeds are enclosed inside a fruit. They are the largest and most advanced group of plants.
Angiosperms have seeds enclosed inside a fruit and they produce flowers. Gymnosperms have naked seeds (not covered) and produce cones, not flowers.
Only angiosperms show two fusions: one male gamete forms the zygote (syngamy) and the other forms the triploid endosperm (triple fusion). Together these two events are double fertilisation, seen in no other plant group.
Monocotyledons (one cotyledon, example wheat) and Dicotyledons (two cotyledons, example pea). Both are flowering plants.
Angiosperms link Plant Kingdom to later chapters like Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants. The seed-enclosed vs naked-seed contrast and double fertilisation are high-yield, easy-to-frame facts.
