Monocotyledonous plants: What are and examples

Cotyledons are nothing other than that First primitive sheet that plants produce in their embryo. It is what will be your first tool with which to collect sunlight and be able to make photosynthesis, so this small sheet called such an important cotyledon.

Learn more about this topic in this ecology article about what a cotyledon, its characteristics and functions is.

The Monocotyledonous plants They are characterized, as the name implies, by having A single cotyledon. But this is far from being their only difference with dicotyledons.

The monocotyledonneas have a very different growth than their two cotyledons relatives. This is mainly due to the fact that these They have no changewithout which wood production is not possible and, therefore, do not develop a trunk as such, but a Main and thicker stem. For example, if you cut the “trunk” of a palm tree, you will not see annual growth rings as occurs in shrubs and trees.

Another important difference occurs in the roots of the plant. In monocotyledons the roots are adventitiouswhich means that all of them are born from the base of the stem. This makes its root system much less extensive and of a lower reach, so it deepens little and, therefore, they cannot develop a large number of branches.

The last of the basic characteristics of the monocotyledonous is that all its leaves show visible ribs, which extend throughout them in parallel.

It is very likely that many of the Monocotyledonous plants names That we mention below sound a lot. Let’s look at some examples of plants of this type:

Canarian palm

The Phoenix canariensis It is a palm tree from the Canary Islands, as the name implies. This large plant can reach up to 13 meters high, with leaves up to 7 meters long. It shows a large trunk that sometimes reaches and even exceed the meter in diameter, and is a very popular plant in gardening due to its high resistance to both high and low temperatures.

Tulipanes

It is believed that there are about 150 species of tulips, without counting on their huge amount of hybrids. These bulbous plants, which have their origin in the Middle East, are highly appreciated in gardening and decoration as ornamental flowers, since their colors are very striking and bright. They are well -known flower plants, so if you like and want to have them at home, we recommend this guide on how to take care of tulips in pot.

Banano

The paradisiac muse is a herbaceous that grows up to 4 meters high, showing large leaves that reach 2 meters in length. It has its origin in the Indomalayan region, and is known above all for its fruit: the banana, which is consumed in a large number of countries.

Bamboo

Scientific name BAMBUSOIDEAE, This plant from China is well known for its great growth capacity. Its woody stems have been traditionally used for the creation of furniture and structures of all kinds. There are bamboo that do not exceed the meter high, while the largest can reach 25 meters.

These are the main differences between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants:

• The main difference is the one that gives their name to both: while monocotyledonous produce a single cotyledon in their embryo phase, dicotyledons emit two cotyledons.
• In addition, dicotyledonous plants make their first root grow as a primary root while producing other secondary ones, while in the monocotyledonous, as we have already mentioned above, all the roots start from the stem.
• Finally, dicotyledonous plants can produce wood, so they have a true trunk. All of them show annual rings in their trunk and branches.

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