Una cariópside o cariopse es un tipo de fruto simple, similar al aquenio, formado a partir de un único carpelo, seco e indehiscente. En ella el integumento y el pericarpio se han fusionado, formando una piel protectora. Llamada también grano, es el tipo de fruto típico de las gramíneas (Poaceae) o cereales: el trigo (Triticum spp.), el arroz (Oryza sativa) y el maíz (Zea mays) forman cariópsides. En muchos casos, las "cáscaras" que protegen a estos frutos son los restos de las brácteas florales que los recubren; en sí, el integumento se ha incorporado a la parte que se consume.

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In botany, a caryopsis (plural caryopses) is a type of simple dry fruit—one that is monocarpellate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat. The caryopsis is popularly called a grain and is the fruit typical of the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), which includes wheat, rice, and corn. The term grain is also used in a more general sense as synonymous with cereal (as in "cereal grains", which include some non-Poaceae). Considering that the fruit wall and the seed are intimately fused into a single unit, and the caryopsis or grain is a dry fruit, little concern is given to technically separating the terms fruit and seed in these plant structures. In many grains, the "hulls" to be separated before processing are actually flower bracts.

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