Historically, plants are classified into two categories based on the number of cotyledons or embryonic leaves. Therefore, the term “monocot” refers to the flowering plants that contain only one cotyledon. Likewise, the term “dicot” refers to flowering plants having two cotyledons. Besides the number of cotyledons, these two plant categories exhibit vastly different characteristics from each other with respect to other parts of the plant – such as the roots, leaves and stem. We shall explore the differences between monocot and dicot leaf in this article.
And please note, exceptions are present for some of the cases.
| Dicot plants have leaves that are relatively smaller and broader than monocot plants | Monocot plants have leaves that are characteristically longer and slender |
| Stomata in dicot leaves are kidney-shaped | Stomata in monocot leaves are dumb-bell shaped |
| Dicot leaves are hypostomatic – which means stomata are present on the lower surface of the leaf | Monocot leaves are amphistomatic – which means the stomata are present on lower as well as the upper surface |
| Dorsoventral orientation | Isobilateral orientation |
| Dicots leaves have a dark green upper surface and a light green lower surface | No such differentiation. Both sides have the same colour. |
| Large | Small as well as large vascular bundles are present |
| Due to the presence of mesophyll cells, dicot leaves have large intercellular spaces | Monocot leaves have comparatively tighter intracellular space due to the compact arrangement of mesophyll cells |
| Differentiated into two parts – upper palisade and lower spongy mesophyll | No such differentiation in a monocot leaf |
| Reticulate venation (web-like pattern) | Parallel venation (Veins do not join other veins) |
| Collenchymatous | Sclerenchymatous |
| Parenchymatous | Sclerenchymatous |
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