Monocots vs. Dicots• Monocot seeds include grasses, such as

corn and rye, and grains such as wheat and rice.

• A monocot seed contains one cotyledon, or seed leaf, in its embryo.

• Food storing tissue called endosperm surrounds the embryo.

• When the seed sprouts, the cotyledon stays below ground to absorb nutrients and transport those nutrients to the seedling.

All grasses are Monocots

Dicots

• Include beans, peanuts, apples, and just about every tree and garden vegetable.

• Inside are two cotyledons (seed leaves)

• These cotyledons absorb and store food from the endosperm before the seed sprouts. Once the seed sprouts, the two cotyledons emerge from the soil

Beans and Peas are Dicots

Roots

• Monocots- have fibrous roots that spread and branch out

• Dicots usually have one long, thick root called a taproot. Small secondary roots grow outward from the taproot.

Stems

• Stems contain vascular tubes that carry food downward (phloem) and water and minerals upward (xylem) in the plant.

• Monocots- These tubes are scattered throughout the stems in no particular pattern.

• Dicots- These tubes are arranged in a ring around the center of the stem.

Leaves

• Leaves of monocots have parallel veins.

• Leaves of dicots have veins that form branching patterns.

Flowers

• Monocots- Flower parts are in multiples of three. Lilies for example have three petals, three sepals, and six stamens.

• Dicots- Usually in multiples of 2, 4, or 5.