A ripe seed consists of and embryo plant, which may be surrounded by reserve food or endosperm, enclosed in two coats of the ovule the seed or seeds lie inside the fruit. The embryo is therefore covered by a hard coat, the fruit coat or pericarp which develops from the ovary wall. Occasionally the pericarp develops from the ovary wall and adjacent structures usually the receptacle. It is difficult to decide whether the structure is a seed or fruit. In such cases the number of scars on the structure should be counted. A seed usually has one scar where it was attached to the placenta whereas a fruit will usually have two scars, one where it was attached to the receptacle and the other representing the remains of style of stigma.

A seed is a fertilized ovule. It normally develops quickly after fertilization and its size is often greatly increased because food reserves are stored in some parts of it. A seed which has one seed leaf is described as monocotyledonous and one with two as Dicotyledonous.

Examples of monocotyledonous seeds are: sunflower seeds, wheat, and many common cereals

Examples of dicotyledonous seeds are; beans seeds orange seeds, and most seeds of plants with net venation.