The morphological nature of the edible part of coconut is
Answer: (C) Endosperm. Coconut is an endospermic (monocot) drupe; the edible white kernel and coconut 'water' are forms of endosperm, the bulky food-storing tissue formed after double fertilisation.
- A.Perisperm
- B.Cotyledon
- C.Endosperm✓
- D.Pericarp
Correct Answer
(C) Endosperm
Solution & Explanation
Coconut is an endospermic (monocot) drupe; the edible white kernel and coconut 'water' are forms of endosperm, the bulky food-storing tissue formed after double fertilisation. The fibrous husk is mesocarp and the hard shell is endocarp, so the edible part is endosperm. NCERT Reference: Ch 5, p.67, lines 14-15 — "The endosperm is bulky and stores food" (Note: this specific content was rationalised out of the 2026-27 NCERT reprint; grounded in pre-2023 NCERT text.) (Note: Answer (Endosperm) is correct, but the reprint does not explicitly state that the edible part of coconut is endosperm; it only describes coconut as a drupe with fibrous mesocarp, and that monocot endosperm is bulky and stores food. The coconut-specific identification is inferred.)