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Home > Articles > Difference Between Monocot and Dicot: Definitions, Examples, Comparison and Useful Facts
Updated on 19th May, 2023 , 5 min read
Botanists categorise a wide range of plants in order to make them easier to see and study. The presence or absence of flowers in a plant typically determines its classification. They can be further separated into two main types according to how they look and how many leaves have sprouted. Cotyledons are a crucial part of the embryo that is contained in a seed. The presence or absence of seeds defines all plants. Also split into flowering (angiosperms) and non-flowering (gymnosperms) plants, are those plants that produce seeds. The division of flowering plants into monocots and dicots follows. The distinctions between monocots and dicots will be covered today.
The following table examines the morphological differences in the leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits of monocots and dicots-
Basis |
Dicot |
Monocot |
Cotyledons |
The dicot embryo has two cotyledons |
The monocot embryo has one cotyledons |
Leaf venation |
Leaf veins are reticulated (branched). |
Leaf veins are parallel. |
Stomata in leaves |
Some dicots are epistomatous, i.e., they have stomata only on one surface of their leaves. |
Monocots are amphistomatous, i.e., monocot leaves have stomata on both the upper and lower surface. |
Type of leaves |
Dorsiventral |
Isobilateral |
Flowers |
Petals in multiples of four or five. May bear fruit ( if tree). |
Petals in multiples of three. |
Root Pattern |
Taproot system |
Fibrous roots |
Bulliform cells |
Dicot leaves do not have bulliform cells. |
Many monocots have bulliform cells on their leaves to regulate the loss of water. |
Secondary growth |
Present Sometimes |
Absent |
Stem and vascular system |
ring-shaped clusters of vascular tissue. A cortex and a stele are two parts of the circulatory system. |
There is no cortex, and nodular clusters of vascular tissue are dispersed throughout the stem in no particular order. |
Pollen |
Pollen with three furrows, or pores. |
Pollen with a single furrow or pore. |
Presence or absence of wood |
Both herbaceous and woody |
Herbaceous |
Seed leaves |
2 seed leaves |
1 seed leaf |
Examples |
Cauliflowers, pear, etc. |
Garlic, wheat, grass, etc. |
Flowering plants known as monocotyledons (often referred to as monocots) typically have seeds with only one embryonic cotyledon. There are almost 60,000 monocot species, the majority of which are herbaceous. Monocots got their name from the structure of their seeds, which had just one cotyledon at the end.
There are monocotyledons in a variety of settings, although they are most prevalent in tropical regions. Many species can be found in a variety of other settings, such as ponds, rivers, lakes, coastal aquatic ecosystems, barren plains, and even polar habitats, despite the fact that they are typically found in great numbers in low areas. Due to a lack of specific woody tissue, monocots typically do not grow into trees.
The following are the characteristics of monocot plants-
Corn, rice, sugarcane, sorghum, ginger, orchid, onion, garlic, banana, coconut, palm, tulips, lilies, daffodils, etc are different monocot examples.
Following are the characteristics of Dicot Plants:
Flowering plants with two cotyledons in the seed embryo are known as dicotyledons or dicots. About 175,000 well-known species of dicots exist. These plants contain vascular bundles that are specifically organised to give them a cylindrical shape. A cortex and a stele make up a dicot plant's vascular system.
Every other plant you see outside your house is a dicotyledon, if you look normally. Dicots are thus ubiquitous. The most well-known plants are dicots, which include roses, cacti, and oak trees.
An apical meristem that continuously produces root tissue results from it. Root systems often carry out the following tasks-
Roses, oak trees, daisies, peas, beans, cactus, magnolia, marigolds, sunflowers, buttercups, asters, dandelions, etc are common dicot examples.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants |
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
Class Liliopsida – Monocotyledons |
Kingdom Plantae – Plants |
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
The majority of plant species classified as monocots are grasses and other plants with grass-like characteristics. The kinds of plants that fall under this group are most frequently irises, lilies, and amaryllises. Bushes, trees, plants for vegetable gardens, etc. are examples of dicotyledonous plants. When researching monocots and dicots, it's important to keep in mind that not all of them have traits that make them easily distinguishable from one another. Encourage kids to do experiments that will clarify the distinctions between the two. The architecture, roles, and growth of many monocot and dicot species can be better understood in this way.
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By - Nikita Parmar 2024-09-06 10:59:22 , 6 min readAns- The class to which monocots belong is called Liliopsida.
Ans- Dicots are members of the class Magnoliopsida.
Ans- Dicot plants have dorsiventral leaves.
Ans- Monocots typically possess three sepals and three petals. In some cases, the sepals resemble the shape and color of petals.
Ans- Dicot plants are characterised by double-cotyledon seeds, net or reticulate venation, vascular bundles in the rings, typical cambium being present, and a tap root system.