Plant Parts The fruit is the ripened ovary of a plant containing the seeds. After fertilization, the ovary swells and becomes either fleshy or hard and dry to protect the developing seeds. Many fruits help seeds spread (maple seeds). Many things we call vegetables are really fruits (tomato, cucumber, beans). Every seed is a tiny plant (embryo) with leaves, stems, and root parts waiting for the right things to happen to make it germinate and grow. Seeds are protected by a coat. This coat can be thin or thick and hard. Thin coats don't protect the embryo well. But thick coats can let the embryo survive some tough conditions. The seed also contains a short-term food supply called endosperm. This is found in the plant's cotyledons. Plants with one cotyledon (like corn) are called monocots. If they have two cotyledons (like beans), they are called dicots. Seeds are a plant's way of getting from one area to another.