Which term matches the definition: food-rich tissue that nourishes a seedling as it grows?

• A. Cotyledon
• B. Endosperm
• C. Germination
• D. Petal

Answer: (B)

Nutrient supply inside a seed is provided by the endosperm. Endosperm is the food-rich tissue formed in many flowering plants after fertilization, and its job is to nourish the embryo as it grows during germination until the young plant can photosynthesize on its own. In seeds like corn, this tissue surrounds the embryo and serves as the main source of nutrition. While cotyledons (seed leaves) also store nutrients in some seeds and can feed the seedling, the term that most directly names the nourishing tissue inside the seed itself is endosperm. Germination describes the process of a seed beginning to grow, and petals are floral parts with no nutritive role for the seedling.