A plant that does not produce fruit is called as (a) acarpous (b) fertile (c) apocarpus (d) parthenocarpus Which of the option / s given above is / are correct?
(a) only
Understanding the terminology used in botany helps us describe different characteristics of plants, including their reproductive structures and products like fruits.
Identifying Plants Without Fruit
The question asks for the term used to describe a plant that does not produce fruit. Let's examine the given options:
- (a) acarpous: This term comes from the Greek 'a-' meaning 'without' and 'karpos' meaning 'fruit'. Therefore, acarpous means not producing fruit or carpels. This directly fits the description of a plant that does not produce fruit.
- (b) fertile: A fertile plant is one that is capable of reproducing and producing seeds or fruits through sexual means. Plants that are fertile typically produce fruit if successfully pollinated and fertilized. This is the opposite of a plant that does not produce fruit.
- (c) apocarpus: This term is used to describe a gynoecium (the female reproductive part of a flower) where the carpels are separate or distinct, not fused together. This term describes the structure of the flower's ovary, not whether the plant produces fruit or not.
- (d) parthenocarpus: This refers to the development of fruit without fertilization. This process, called parthenocarpy, results in seedless fruits (like some bananas, grapes, or cucumbers). While it describes a specific way fruit is produced, it still involves the production of fruit, not its absence.
Based on the definitions, 'acarpous' is the correct term for a plant that does not produce fruit.
Comparing the Terms
Let's summarize the terms:
| Term | Meaning | Produces Fruit? |
|---|---|---|
| Acarpous | Not producing fruit or carpels | No |
| Fertile | Capable of reproduction (often producing fruit) | Yes (typically, if pollinated) |
| Apocarpus | Having separate carpels in the ovary | May or may not produce fruit (depends on fertilization) |
| Parthenocarpus | Producing fruit without fertilization (seedless) | Yes |
From the comparison, it is clear that only 'acarpous' describes a plant that does not produce fruit.
Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.
Important Questions from Botany
One advantage of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction is that it helps species to survive over long evolutionary time. This is because sexual reproduction produces :
During a laboratory experiment, a student immerses epidermal leaf peel in a hypertonic solution. After some time, the student examined the cells under a microscope and observed that:
After fertilization, the fruit and the seed are produced by
- Which one of the following groups is called 'amphibians of plant kingdom'?
- Which one of the following plant plastids stores starch, oil and protein granules?
