The flowering plants or the angiosperms are the most diversified group of plants. Most of the plants that you see around and that which dominate the plant population belong to this group. The angiosperms are further divided into monocotyledon and dicotyledon. To distinguish between monocots and dicots, we need to compare different structural traits of angiosperms, viz. roots, stems, leaves and flowers. But, variations between monocots and dicots begin from the seed, which is the start of a plant’s life cycle. Cotyledon refers to the ‘first seed leaf’, present in the embryo. If it is a single seed leaf, then it is categorised as monocots and if it is a pair of leaves then it is categorised as dicots. This little distinction at the beginning of the plant’s life cycle causes each plant to generate big differences about which we will further discuss in the article. The distinguishing feature between monocotyledon and dicotyledon are given below in a tabular column.
Monocotyledon vs Dicotyledon
| Monocotyledon | Dicotyledon |
| The monocotyledonous embryos have a single cotyledon | The dicotyledonous embryos have a pair of cotyledons |
| They have a fibrous root system | They have a tap root system |
| Leaves in monocots have parallel venation | Leaves in dicots have reticulate or net venation |
| In monocot flowers, the count of parts of the flower is a multiple of three or equal to three | The count of parts in a dicot flower is a multiple of four or five or equal to four or five |
| The roots and stems of monocotyledons do not possess a cambium and cannot increase in diameter | The roots and stems of dicotyledons possess a cambium and have the ability to increase in diameter |
| A few examples of monocotyledons are garlic, onions, wheat, corn and grass, etc. | A few examples of dicots are beans, cauliflower, apples and pear, etc. |
At BYJU’S, you can learn more differences like the difference between nucleus and nucleoid and many more.
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