How to tell monocots and dicots

The fundamental difference is whether to develop two or one leaves in the embryo of the seed, two are called dicots, and one is called monocots. The former are such as apples and soybeans; The latter are like rice, corn. These two types of plants are relatively easy to distinguish because there are some distinct morphological differences between them.

The root system of dicots, which is basically straight, has a well-developed taproot; Many are woody plants, and the stems can be thickened; The leaf veins are reticulated; The number of sepals and petals in the flower is 5 or 4, and if the petals are combined, there are 5 or 4 lobes. The root system of monocots is basically fibrous root system, and the taproot is underdeveloped; Mainly herbaceous plants, woody plants are few, and the stems usually do not thicken year by year; The leaf veins are parallel veins, and the number of sepals and petals in the flower is usually 3, or a multiple of 3. The above differences make it easier to distinguish between monocots and dicots.

In the whole angiosperms, the species of dicots account for 4 5 of the total, and in addition to almost all trees, there are many fruits, melons, fibers, oil plants, and many vegetables; Whereas, monocots have a large number of food plants, such as rice, corn, barley, wheat, sorghum, etc.

31 Micro Lesson: Finding the veins of monocotyledonous plants.

Angiosperms, multiples of petals of 3 are monocotyledons, and multiples of 4,5 are dicots. Except for 12, 15 is almost none.

One is to look at the germ, the same upstairs.

The second is the trick taught by our teacher: generally the striped leaf veins are monocots, and the reticular leaf veins are dicots.

You see that when the seed germinates, there are several germs, one is monocot and two are dicots.

Generally, wheat, corn, and barley are monocots, and others are generally dicots.

Monocotyledon nutrients are in the endosperm and dicot nutrients are in the cotyledons. Not quite right. This is because the embryo also contains nutrients.

It can be distinguished by the number of cotyledons, the vein order of the leaves, the type of roots, the morphological structure of the flower, and the morphological structure of the flower.

1. Number of cotyledons

The embryo of monocot seeds has one leaf, such as corn, wheat, rice, onion, etc.; The embryo of dicot seeds has two leaves, such as beans, peanuts, broad beans, soybeans, pumpkins, etc.

2. The pulse order of the leaf

The leaf veins of monocots are mainly reticulated veins, that is, the leaf veins are arranged in a reticulated pattern, such as apple trees, poplars, elms, acacias, cotton, sunflowers, etc.; The leaf veins of monocots are mostly parallel and arc-shaped, such as wheat, rice, bamboo, iris, etc.

3. The type of root system

Most of the taproots of dicots are more developed, so most of the dicots are straight roots, and the vascular bundles in the stems are arranged in a ring, many of which are woody plants, and the stems can continue to thicken, such as cotton, evening primrose, elm, etc.

The taproot of monocots is not very developed and obvious, there are developed fibrous roots, pure so monocots are mostly fibrous roots, mainly herbaceous plants, woody plants are few, and the stems usually cannot be thickened year by year, such as wheat, onions, rice, etc.

4. The morphological structure of flowers

The flower base (petals) of dicots are generally 4 or 5, the calyx and corolla are not very similar in shape, such as apple blossom, rape flower, etc., and the pollen grains basically have 3 holes or furrows; Monocots generally have 3 flower bases (some are 2 and 4, and a few flower bases are also 4 or 5), and the calyx and corolla are relatively similar, such as lilies, daylily flowers, etc., and the pollen grains basically have 1 hole or groove.

5. an embryo

There are two cotyledons of dicots, which are rich in nutrients and can be used by seedlings until they can photosynthesize, and the endosperm is often lacking; There is one cotyledon of monocots, and its decomposition and absorption role far exceeds the function of storage, and it has endosperm.

Out of all angiosperms, it can be divided into two main groups, namely monocots and dicots. In the whole angiosperms, the species of dicots account for 4 5 of the total, and in addition to almost all trees, there are many fruits, melons, fibers, oil plants, and many vegetables; Monocots have a large number of food plants, such as rice, corn, barley, wheat, sorghum, etc. So what is the difference between monocots and dicots?

First, the difference between leaves. The leaves of monocots are basal, and when they bloom, they will have stems and leaves, and there is a ** leaf. It usually has a long petiole with a sheath and a dehiscent base, with the main vein parallel to the leaf margin. The leaves of dicots have two ** leaves and have reticular veins.

Second, the difference between flowers. The flowers of monocots are bisexual or unisexual, and the cardinal celery is three.

3. The difference between roots. The taproot of monocots is generally underdeveloped, it is a fibrous root formed by a large number of adventitious roots, and there are no direct roots. The taproots of dicots are generally more developed, and most of them are direct roots.

In general, they are very different, but if you want to really tell them quickly, you need to keep the above in mind and compare them a lot, so that practice makes perfect and you can tell at a glance.