Thedevelopmentofpericarp,seedcoat,starchyendospermandaleuroneofthericecaryopsiswasinvestigated,histochemicallyandstructurally,fromthetimeoffloweringtomaturity.Theresultsshowedthatduringitsgrowth,themaximumlengthofthecaryopsiswasattainedfirst,followedbywidthandthenthickness.Histochemicalexaminationofthecaryopsisshowedthatstarchwasmainlyaccumulatedintheendosperm,buttheendospermshowednometabolicactivity,whileembryoandpericarpcontainedafewstarchgrains,andembryoandaleuronewerestronglyactive.Aleuroniccellscontainedmanyaleuronegrainsandspherosomes,andaleuroneinthedorsalregiondevelopedearlierandcontainedmorelayersofcells.Amyloplastsinendospermcontainedmanystarchgranulesandweresphericalatearlystagesbutpolyhedricatlatestages.Theproteinbodiesappearedlaterthanamyloplasts,andthenumberofproteinbodiesinsubaleuronewasgreaterthanthoseinthestarchyendosperm.Thewhite-bellyportionofendospermmightberelativetothestatusofamyloplastdevelopment.
