Question

Endosperm in gymnosperms is

• A. Haploid and developed after fertilization
• B. Haploid and developed before fertilization
• C. Triploid and developed before fertilization
• D. Triploid and developed after fertilization

Answer 1

The correct option is B Haploid and developed before fertilization

Gymnosperms are the most primitive of the seed plants. A seed comprises two parts: an endosperm, which nourishes the embryo, and the embryo itself, which is fed by the endosperm.

In gymnosperms the endosperm grows from a spore (a cell with half the number of chromosomes n). Pollination may occur when the cone is small, but the endosperm continues to grow to completion before fertilisation occurs.

Hence the correct option is B.