Monocots – TFT

Introduction

The monocots are one of two major types of flowering plants known as angiosperms, the other being the eudicotyledons (eudicots). There are over 60,000 monocot species, including the most commercially significant plant family, Poaceae (real grasses), and the biggest plant family, Orchidaceae (orchids). Further monocot families include the Liliaceae (lilies), Arecaceae (palms), and Iridaceae (irises) (irises). The existence of only one seed leaf, or cotyledon, in the embryo contained in the seed distinguishes the majority of them.

What is Monocot?

A monocot is a group of flowering plants that belong to the Liliopsida (or Monocotyledonae) family of Angiospermae (angiosperms), and are distinguished by having just one cotyledon in the seed and growing endogenously.

According to the number of cotyledons in their seeds, angiosperms (flowering plants) are either monocotyledons (or monocots) or dicotyledons (or dicots).

Palms, grasses, orchids, and lilies are examples of monocotyledonous plants.

Other distinguishing traits, aside from the number of cotyledons, are as follows:

The number of floral components – trimerous monocot flowers (in multiples of three)
The number of pollen pores — monocots have one
Vascular bundle arrangement in the stem – The vascular bundles of monocots are dispersed.
The roots – adventitious roots are monocot roots
The arrangement of main leaf veins – the leaves of monocots exhibit parallel venation.

The Key Parts of Monocot

1. Monocot Stem

Monocots, also known as monocotyledonous flowering plants, are those with just one cotyledon in the seed, such as wheat, ginger, onions, and grass. These stems are circular in form, feature an epidermal layer, and lateral branches. They have an epidermis layer on the outside, followed by a sclerenchymatous hypodermis.

Following the hypodermis, there is parenchymatous ground tissue with a considerable number of distributed vascular bundles surrounded by sclerenchymatous bundle sheath. The schematic of the Transverse Section of a Monocot stem below will help you grasp its primary components.

2. Monocot Root

In many ways, the anatomy of the monocot root is similar to that of the dicot root. Cortex, epidermis, endodermis, pericycle, pith, and vascular bundles are also present. The distinction is due to the amount of Xylem bundles. Unlike dicot roots, which have fewer xylem bundles, monocot roots often have more than six (polyarch) xylem bundles. The pith is thick and highly formed, and monocotyledonous roots do not generate secondary roots.

3. Monocot Leaf

The term “monocot” or “monocotyledonous leaf” refers to blooming plants having seeds that have just one embryonic leaf or cotyledon. There are 60,000 species of monocots known worldwide. The leaves of monocots are long and thin, with parallel veins. When compared to other types of veins, the size of veins in parallel venation is small, with even smaller veins joining them. The floral components of monocots are divided into three groups. The roots of monocots are fibrous. Palm trees, bananas, water plantains, grasses, orchids, and lilies are just a few examples.

Let’s know How to Differentiate between Monocot and Dicot so that we can Identify both of them.

Difference between Monocot and Dicot Leaf

S.NO	Monocot Leaf	Dicot Leaf
1	Monocot Leaf has thin and elongated forms.	The Dicot Leaf is often broader and circular in form.
2	The veins of monocot leaves are all the same size. They are called parallel venation.	Veins on dicot leaves branch out from a vein-like web. They are known as reticulate venation.
3	The lower and top surfaces of a Monocot leaf are green.	The bottom surface of a dicot leaf is often light green, whereas the top surface of a dicot leaf is generally dark green.
4	The leaves of monocots are amphistomatic. Stomata can be present on both the lower and upper epidermis.	The leaves of dicots are hypostomatic. Stomata are only present near the bottom of the leaf.
5	The stomata of Monocot leaves are shaped like a dumbbell.	The stomata of Dicot leaves are kidney-bean shaped.

Difference between Monocot and Dicot Stem

S.NO	Monocot Stem	Dicot Stem
1	Monocot stems are typically hollow in the centre.	The stem is mostly solid.
2	There are epidermal hairs present.	Epidermal hairs may or may not be present on the epidermis’s surface.
3	There are no trichomes.	On the surface, it may have Trichomes.
4	The layers are not organised concentrically.	All of the interior tissue layers are organised concentrically, leaving a centre space.
5	Sclerenchymatous cells make up hypodermis cells.	The hypodermis is a kind of collenchymatous cell that exists underneath the epidermis.
6	Ground tissue is made up of parenchymatous cells.	Between the bundle sheaths, the ground tissue is divided into distinct layers of tissue such as endodermis, Pericycle, cortex, and medullary rays.

Difference between Monocot and Dicot Root

S.NO	Monocot Root	Dicot Root
1	It is round or oval in form.	It is either angular or polygonal in form.
2	It has a large cortical region.	It has a small cortical region.
3	It only produces lateral roots.	It gives birth to cork cambium, lateral roots, and vascular tissue.
4	Increased Xylem and Phloem numbers.	There are less Xylem and Phloem.
5	Secondary growth is not seen.	Secondary growth occurs to support the vascular cambium and cork.
6	The pith is highly developed.	The pith is either missing or extremely tiny.
7	There might be more than eight Xylem and Phloem.	The number ranges from 2 to 8.

Conclusion

The existence of only one seed leaf, or cotyledon, in the embryo contained in the seed distinguishes the majority of them. A monocot is a group of flowering plants that belong to the Liliopsida family of Angiospermae , and are distinguished by having just one cotyledon in the seed and growing endogenously. Other distinguishing traits, aside from the number of cotyledons, are as follows: The number of floral components – trimerous monocot flowers, The number of pollen pores monocots have one Vascular bundle arrangement in the stem, The vascular bundles of monocots are dispersed.