Module: | Pollination & Outbreeding Devices
Q53: Consider the following statements regarding the anatomical differentiation of the pericarp in drupes:
1. Drupes, such as mango and coconut, uniquely develop from monocarpellary, superior ovaries and contain a single seed.
2. In the mango fruit, the middle layer (mesocarp) is thick, fleshy, and edible, whereas in the coconut, the mesocarp is highly fibrous.
3. The innermost layer, the endocarp, is soft, thin, and membranous in both mango and coconut to allow easy radicle emergence.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. In the mango fruit, the middle layer (mesocarp) is thick, fleshy, and edible, whereas in the coconut, the mesocarp is highly fibrous.
3. The innermost layer, the endocarp, is soft, thin, and membranous in both mango and coconut to allow easy radicle emergence.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but Statement 3 is completely incorrect.
The pericarp (fruit wall), derived from the ovary wall, differentiates into three layers: the outer epicarp, middle mesocarp, and inner endocarp.
Drupes are a specific class of fleshy, one-seeded fruits developing exclusively from a monocarpellary, superior ovary.
While mango and coconut share this origin, their structural layers adapt differently.
In mango, the epicarp is the leathery skin, the mesocarp is the sweet, edible flesh, and the endocarp is the hard stone protecting the seed.
In coconut, the epicarp is the smooth outer rind, the mesocarp yields commercial coir fiber (making it fibrous, not fleshy), and the endocarp is the extremely hard, woody shell.
Therefore, Statement 3 fails because the defining feature of a drupe is its stony, hard endocarp, not a soft membranous one.
The pericarp (fruit wall), derived from the ovary wall, differentiates into three layers: the outer epicarp, middle mesocarp, and inner endocarp.
Drupes are a specific class of fleshy, one-seeded fruits developing exclusively from a monocarpellary, superior ovary.
While mango and coconut share this origin, their structural layers adapt differently.
In mango, the epicarp is the leathery skin, the mesocarp is the sweet, edible flesh, and the endocarp is the hard stone protecting the seed.
In coconut, the epicarp is the smooth outer rind, the mesocarp yields commercial coir fiber (making it fibrous, not fleshy), and the endocarp is the extremely hard, woody shell.
Therefore, Statement 3 fails because the defining feature of a drupe is its stony, hard endocarp, not a soft membranous one.