Which of these is NOT part of a seed?

Step 1: Analyze the question We need the structure that does not belong to the seed itself.

Step 2: Recall the concept A seed develops from the fertilized ovule. Its parts are:

• Testa: the outer seed coat (and tegmen, the inner coat)
• Embryo: the young plant, made of the radicle, plumule and cotyledon(s)
• Cotyledon: the seed leaf, which stores or absorbs food
• Endosperm: the food storage tissue in many seeds (e.g., maize, castor oil)

A fruit develops from the ovary wall. The pericarp is the fruit wall, which forms from the ovary wall and has three layers: exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp.

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Cotyledon: part of the embryo, so it is in the seed.
• B. Embryo: it is in the seed.
• C. Endosperm: it is in the seed.
• D. Pericarp: it is the fruit wall, not the seed.
• E. Testa: it is the seed coat, so it is part of the seed.

Answer: D. Pericarp.

Tip: Remember "ovule becomes seed, ovary becomes fruit." Anything from the ovary wall, such as the pericarp, belongs to the fruit. Be careful with grains like maize, where the pericarp fuses with the testa, but strictly the pericarp is still a fruit part.