Editing Endosperm (section)

==Role in seed development==
In some groups (e.g. grains of the family [[Poaceae]]), the endosperm persists to the mature seed stage as a storage tissue, in which case the seeds are called "albuminous" or "endospermous", and in others it is absorbed during embryo development (e.g., most members of the family [[Fabaceae]], including the [[common bean]], ''Phaseolus vulgaris''), in which case the seeds are called "exalbuminous" or "cotyledonous" and the function of storage tissue is performed by enlarged [[cotyledon]]s ("seed leaves"). In certain species (e.g. corn, ''Zea mays''); the storage function is distributed between both endosperm and the embryo. Some mature endosperm tissue stores fats (e.g. [[castor bean]], ''Ricinus communis'') and others (including grains, such as wheat and corn) store mainly starches.

The dust-like seeds of [[orchid]]s have no endosperm. Orchid seedlings are [[mycoheterotrophy|mycoheterotrophic]] in their early development. In some other species, such as [[coffee]], the endosperm also does not develop.<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Houk WG | title = Endosperm and Perisperm of Coffee with Notes on the Morphology of the Ovule and Seed Development | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 25 | issue = 1 | pages = 56–61 | doi = 10.2307/2436631 | year = 1938 | jstor = 2436631 }}</ref> Instead, the [[nucellus]] produces a nutritive tissue termed "perisperm". The endosperm of some species is responsible for [[seed dormancy]].<ref>{{cite book | first = Amarjit S. | last = Basra | name-list-style = vanc | title = Mechanisms of plant growth and improved productivity: modern approaches | date = 1994 | location =  New York | publisher = M. Dekker | isbn = 978-0-8247-9192-6 }}</ref> Endosperm tissue also mediates the transfer of nutrients from the mother plant to the embryo, it acts as a location for gene imprinting, and is responsible for aborting seeds produced from genetically mismatched parents.<ref name="Olsen2007"/> In angiosperms, the endosperm contain hormones such as [[cytokinin]]s, which regulate cellular differentiation and embryonic organ formation.<ref>{{cite book | last = Pearson | first = Lorentz C. | name-list-style = vanc | title=The diversity and evolution of plants | year=1995 | publisher=CRC Press | location=Boca Raton | isbn=978-0-8493-2483-3 | page=547}}</ref>