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8.3: Monocots vs. Eudicots

  • Page ID
    35349
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    Monocots

    Two seedlings. The seedling on the left has a single curled leaf, on the right the seedling has two leaves.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Monocots like the grass shown on the left produce only one cotyledon (mono- for one, -cot for cotyledons). Eudicots (on right), also called dicots, get their name from having two cotyledons. Cotyledons are the first, fleshy leaves that enveloped the embryo as it grew. Image from Pengo, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
    A Trillium flower with the number of parts in each whorl labeled
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): This Trillium is a monocot, which you can tell because it is 3-merous. There are three sepals, three petals, six stamens, and three stigma lobes visible in the gynoecium. Monocots have floral parts in sets of three (3-merous). Photo by Maria Morrow, CC-BY 4.0.

    Eudicots

    A eudicot seedling that has just begun to grow
    Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): A eudicot seedling with two cotyledons. Photo by Maria Morrow, CC-BY 4.0.
    A Clarkia flower that is 4-merous A Flax flower that is 5-merous
    Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Eudicot flowers tend to be 4-merous or 5-merous. The Clarkia flower (first image) is 4-merous. We cannot see the calyx, but there are four petals, 8 stamens, and 4 stigma lobes. The Flax flower (second image) is 5-merous. There are five sepals poking out between the five petals and 5 stamens (with blue anthers!). The number of stigma lobes is not distinguishable in this image. Photos by Maria Morrow, CC-BY 4.0.

    This page titled 8.3: Monocots vs. Eudicots is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Maria Morrow (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .

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