What is the difference between grain and seed?

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Detailed Solution

Grains and seeds are related but not identical. A grain (like rice or wheat) is a type of fruit (caryopsis) from grasses, while a seed is the reproductive unit that can grow into a new plant. Sprouting changes a seed’s chemistry and nutrition significantly.

Feature	Grain	Seed
What it is	A small, dry cereal fruit (caryopsis) from grasses (Poaceae)	The plant’s reproductive unit (embryo + food + coat)
Parts	Embryo, endosperm, seed coat fused with the fruit wall (bran/pericarp)	Embryo, endosperm, seed coat (no fused fruit wall)
Botany	Seed coat fused to pericarp (defining trait of cereals)	In flowering plants, fruit covers seeds; gymnosperms have naked seeds
Use/Growth	Mainly harvested as food; can germinate if viable and untreated	Intended to germinate into a new plant if viable
Viability focus	Not required for eating	Essential for sowing
Treatments	Typically not seed-treated for human food	May be fungicide/pesticide treated for sowing
Edible part emphasized	Often the bran + endosperm (flour)	Often the endosperm (e.g., nuts/seeds), sometimes the whole seed
Examples	Rice, wheat, barley, oats	Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pea/bean seeds