Definition

1. Noun:
   • Nutritive tissue within seeds: In botany, "endosperm" refers to the tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants (angiosperms) following fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides essential nutrients, such as starch, oils, and proteins, to support its growth during germination and early development.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The endosperm of a coconut is the edible white flesh and the liquid "milk" inside.
  • Wheat flour is primarily made from the starchy endosperm of the wheat kernel.
  • During seed development, the endosperm accumulates reserves that the embryo will later use.

Advanced Usage

• "Endospermic" or "Albuminous" seeds: These are seeds where the endosperm persists as a food reserve in the mature seed (e.g., corn, castor bean).
• "Non-endospermic" or "Exalbuminous" seeds: These are seeds where the endosperm is absorbed by the developing embryo and is not present in the mature seed (e.g., pea, bean).

Variants and Related Words

• Endospermic (adjective): Relating to or having an endosperm.
  • Corn is an endospermic seed.
• Endospermous (adjective): Another term meaning possessing an endosperm.

Synonyms

• Nutritive tissue: A general descriptive synonym.
• Albumen: An older, less precise term sometimes used for endosperm, particularly in older botanical texts (not to be confused with egg albumin).

Related Concepts (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)

• Perisperm: Another nutritive tissue in some seeds, derived from the nucellus (part of the ovule), which is distinct from the endosperm.
• Cotyledon: The seed leaf of the embryo, which in some species absorbs the endosperm, and in others stores food itself.

Noun

1. nutritive tissue surrounding the embryo within seeds of flowering plants