Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
Monocots possess only one cotyledon, or seed leaf, where dicotyledons possess two cotyledons. You can easily tell the difference between a monocot and dicot when a seed germinates as you will either see one initial leaf or two. Most plants that you will find dominate a habitat are dicots, with the exception of grasses which are monocots that are highly successful across the planet, largely due to their ability to withstand heavy grazing by ruminants and other land animals.
A few other ways to distinguish monocots from dicots:
| Monocotyledon | Dicotyledon |
|---|---|
| one cotyledon within the seed | two cotyledons within the seed |
| one seed leaf | two seed leaves |
| fibrous root system | often taproot system |
| often have parallel venation | leaves often have reticulate or networking venation |
| flower parts are often present in multiples of three | flower parts are often present in multiples of four or five |
The word 'often' is used a lot above because there are some exceptions, for example Plantago spp. is a dicotyledon with parallel venation.
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