Flowering plants are types of plants that can produce flowers and bear fruits. They are commonly called angiosperms. There are about 300,000 species of flowering plants reported to date. The word angiosperm has its origin from the Greek word angeion and Sperma, where angeion means vessel and Sperma means seed. Flowers are popularly called the reproductive organs of plants. They play a key role in inbreeding. It widely differs into two types based on its flowers, roots, stem, leaves, seeds, structure and function.
Monocotyledons
Monocots are typically known as grass-like flowering plants. As the name suggests they are composed of a single cotyledon. They consist of about 60,000 widespread species around the world out of which 20,000 species belong to the orchid family. They differ from other angiosperms in the aspects of uniformity and diversity.
Uses
Monocot plants play a key role in being commercially and economically important plants. Rice, wheat, and maize serve as the basic food for consumption. Orchids and Lilies are widely used as decorative plants considering their aesthetic nature. They are used in the production of a wide range of medicines that are in great need of saving lives.
Examples
Some of the commonly existing monocot plants are Maize, wheat, coconut, banana, lilies, orchids, aloe vera, daffodils, iris, palm trees, bamboo, pineapple, dates, onions, garlic, barley and more.
Dicotyledons:
Dicots are types of flowering plants belonging to the class of angiosperms. As the name suggests it is composed of two cotyledons. There ate about 200,000 types of dicots existing around the globe. They differ from monocots based on their structure, function and distribution.
Uses
Dicot plants are flowering plants that bear true fruits. Fruits like mango, guava, papaya are cultivated on a large scale for consumption and exportation to different countries which indirectly plays a key role in economic development. Peas, beans serve as nutritious food and also act as manure for plants. Rose, dandelions are grown as decorative plants. Other plants are also used as construction materials, raw materials for biofuel production, and in some medicinal drug production.
Examples
Some of the commonly found dicot plants are peas, beans, mango, guava, papaya, rose, sunflower, castor, radish, tomato, tamarind, tomato, dandelion, avocado, plum, oliver, hazel, jasmine and more.
Difference between Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
The below table gives a detailed description of the differences between Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
Characteristics | Monocotyledons | Dicotyledons |
Description | Flowering plants that are herbaceous and rarely found to be arboraceous | Flowering plants that exist in both herbaceous and arboraceous |
Seeds | ||
Number of cotyledon | Single | Double |
Endosperm | Large | Small |
Seed coat | Fused with pericarp | Distinct from walls of fruits |
Protective sheath | Plumule has coleoptile for protection and coleorhiza protects radicle | Absence of protective sheath |
Leaves | ||
Orientation | Iso-bilateral | Dorsi-ventral |
Number of leaves | One | Two |
Type | Narrow and elongates | Wide |
Venation | Parallel | Reticulate |
Stomata | Amphistomatic | Hypostomatic |
Mesophyll | Undifferentiated | Differentiated |
Motor cells | Present | Absent |
Xylem vessels | Two protoxylem, two metaxylem | Many protoxylem and metaxylem |
Bundle sheath composition | Sclerenchyma | Collenchyma |
Bulliform cells | Present | Absent |
Stem | ||
Vascular Bundles | Scattered form | Regularly arranged form |
Vascular Bundles location | Stem | Forms ring |
Vascular Bundles count | Numerous | 4 to 8 |
Sclerenchymatous bundle caps | Absent | Present |
Metaxylem elements | Two | Many |
Protoxylem lacuna | Present | Absent |
Xylem elements | Circular | Polygonal |
Pith | Absent | Present |
Pericycle | Absent | Present |
Medullary rays | Absent | Present |
Ground tissue | Undifferentiated | Differentiated |
Hypodermis | Sclerenchymatous | Chlorenchymatus |
Trichomes | Absent | Present |
Silica deposition | Absent | Present |
Roots | ||
Xylem | Polyarch | Tetrarch |
Pith | Large | Absent |
Metaxylem | Circular | Polygonal |
Conjunctive tissue | Sclerenchymatous | Parenchymatous |
Secondary growth | Present | Absent |
System | Fibrous root system | Taproot system |
Flower | ||
Floral parts | Three | Four or five |
Examples | ||
Examples | Grasses, banana, orchids, palm tree, lilies, arums, bamboo | Peas, beans, oaks, cactus, mango, guava, papaya, rose, radish. |
Conclusion
Flowering plants play a chief role in maintaining a controlled diversity among the ecosystem. The flowering plants propagate easily which makes them useful in various fields. Flowering plants are the base for agriculture where monocots like bananas, palm trees, bamboo and grasses are used for the consumption of humans, animals, construction of buildings, decorative purposes, etc. Dicots like peas, beans, and mango are commercially cultivated on a large scale for regular consumption and use. They carry many nutritional values that make them more ideal for intake as food.
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