There are two main types of seeds -- naked and enclosed. All cone-bearing plants have naked, or uncovered, seeds. The seeds of these plants develop on the upper side of the scales that form their cones. All flowering plants have seeds enclosed by an ovary. The ovaries of such plants as apples, berries, and grapes develop into a fleshy fruit. In other plants, including beans and peas, the ovaries form a dry fruit. Still other plants have aggregate fruits. Each tiny section of an aggregate fruit, such as a raspberry, develops from a separate ovary and has its own seed.

Seeds consists of three main parts: (1) the seed coat, (2) the embryo, and (3) the endosperm. The seed coat, or outer skin, protects the embryo, which contains all the parts needed to form a new plant. The endosperm nourishes the embryo until it can make its own food. The endosperm of a monocot contains one cotyledon, and that of a dicot has two cotyledons.

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World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago:World Book-Childcraft International, Inc., 1979.

Grapes

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Science.--Botanyy.--Plant Anatomy.

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