Question

Give examples of analogous organs in plants.

Answer 1

Analogous organs are those that differ in their origin and structure but perform a similar function in two different species. They account for convergent evolution. The examples of analogous organs in plants are:

1. Potato is a stem while sweet potato is a root; both perform storage and vegetative propagation.

2. Cactus and Euphorbia belong to two different species but both have a photosynthetic stem and leaves reduced to spines.

3. Pyracantha (firethorn) and Berberis (barberry) both have thorns for protection but in firethorn plant, the thorns are modified stem while in barberry the thorns are modified leaves.