Monocots Vs Dicots

Don’t write this down!!

• There are many ways to tell whether a plant is a monocot or a dicot. This activity allows you to identify all of the characteristics of each and then put them to use.

Count the CotyledonsMonocot• 1 cotyledon

Dicot• 2 cotyledons

LEAF venationMonocot• Parallel LEAF

venation

Dicot• Pinnate (feathered)

and palmate LEAF venation

Stem AnalysisMonocot• Vascular bundles

(xylem and phloem) are random

Dicot• Vascular bundles

(xylem and phloem) are in a ring

Counting Flower PartsMonocots• Sepals, petals, anthers are

all in multiples of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12,etc)

Dicots• Sepals, petals, anthers are

not in multiples of 3 (5, 7, 11, etc)

Root System AnalysisMonocot• Fibrous roots with many

branches

Dicot• Tap roots with fibrous roots

attached