Biology · Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants · NEET
The scutellum IS the single cotyledon of the monocot embryo, not the endosperm. It is large and shield-shaped and lies to one side (lateral) of the embryonal axis. The endosperm is a separate, bulky food-storing tissue; the scutellum sits next to it and absorbs food from it during germination. NEET loves this: in maize, the cotyledon = scutellum, not endosperm.
Both are protective sheaths in the monocot embryo. The coleoptile is a hollow foliar (leaf-like) sheath that covers the plumule (shoot apex). The coleorhiza is an undifferentiated sheath that covers the radicle (root tip). Simple rule: coleoPTile → shoot on top; coleoRHIZA → root below. Do not swap them in a Match-the-column question.
The epiblast is a small, vestigial (rudimentary) second cotyledon found on the side opposite to the scutellum in some monocot (grass) embryos. It has no clear function and represents the reduced second cotyledon. NEET 2025 matched Epiblast → Rudimentary cotyledon, so remember: epiblast = rudimentary cotyledon.
The scutellum. A maize grain is a monocot (endospermic/albuminous) seed. Its single, shield-shaped cotyledon is the scutellum. Plumule, coleoptile and coleorhiza are NOT cotyledons — plumule is the shoot tip, and the other two are only protective sheaths. This was directly asked in NEET 2016.
Yes. A monocot embryo still has an embryonal axis with a plumule (future shoot) and a radicle (future root), just like a dicot. The difference is monocots have only ONE cotyledon (scutellum) instead of two, and both plumule and radicle are enclosed in sheaths (coleoptile and coleorhiza) that dicots do not have.
Cotyledon of maize grain is called:
Match List I with List II: List I: 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:
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
The scutellum is the single cotyledon of the monocot embryo. During germination it absorbs digested food from the endosperm and passes it to the growing embryo, so it acts as a nutrient-transfer organ.
Most monocot seeds (cereals like maize, wheat, rice) are albuminous (endospermic) — they keep a bulky endosperm that stores food, which the scutellum absorbs during germination.
The aleurone layer is a protein-rich outer layer of the endosperm that separates the endosperm from the embryo. It is not part of the embryo itself. NEET 2025 tested this directly as the cereal protein layer.
No. The epiblast is a small vestigial second cotyledon present in some grass embryos (opposite the scutellum). It is not always present and has no clear function; NEET only expects you to match epiblast = rudimentary cotyledon.
