Skip to Content

What Are Dicot Plants? (Read This First!)

Sharing is caring!

Dicot is the short form of the dicotyledon plants. Every plant is developed from a seed leaf in its initial stage. Plants are classified into two different groups based on the number of seed leaves they are grown from. They are known as monocots and dicots.

Dicot plants consist of two different seed leaves. Today we will focus on the dicot form plants. Besides, we will also discuss some explanations about monocot and dicot plant’s differences. Hover underneath and get to know more about the topic. 

What are dicot plants?

Dicot is a group of flowering plants. Dicot plants are also known as dicotyledon plants. They have a pair of cotyledons on the embryos. They are typically one of the two groups who are divided into flowering plants. Some common examples of dicot plants are pea, potato, rose, and apple.

Every plant form is developed from the cotyledon. Cotyledon is an essential part of the seed and embryo of the plant. They are also recognized as the first leaf of a plant. The initial stage of plant development can be followed by one or two cotyledons.

When a plant has more than one seed leaf then it is called the dicot plant. Besides, the dicot plant’s flower parts also consist of four or five parts. The collection of energy sources for the plant is done by the vascular bundles.

It carries on water and nutrients throughout the dicot plant stems. The structure of the vascular bundles is followed to be in concentric circles which are totally different from the random structure of monocot plants.

Like monocot plants, the dicot plant’s roots can’t be developed from every part of the plant.

Dicotyledon plants roots are grown from the developing seeds of the plant and at the bottom section of the embryo. But every single dicot plant does not follow the same reproduction rules.

There are plants that are placed in the dicot group but have monocot characteristics. This has caused disagreement between botanists for many years. But in general, plants that are grown from double seed leaves are considered to be dicot plants.  

What are the characteristics of dicot plants?

Classification of plants is quite useful for many reasons. You can easily recognize the set of characteristics of a plant based on its classification group. We will try to summarize the characteristics of dicot plants that make them distinct from monocot plants.

The number of cotyledons should always be two when it comes to the dicot plants. 

Next, you can talk about the pollen structure that usually develops three pores on the plant. The number of flowering parts of the dicot plants is not that reliable.

It can once be four or five but the next one can be ten. The leaf veins of the plant usually follow with many axillary veins. But the stated character is not that reliable as it can also be seen on some of the monocot plants too.

The vascular bundles follow a circular arrangement and the root is developed from the radicle region. The root part is located at the lower part of the embryo. Besides, dicot plants have the second growth ability but there are some exceptions too. 

What are the differences between monocot and dicot plants?

There are multiple differences between mono or and dicot plants. Flowering plants are scientifically called Anthophyta phylum.

They are classified into two different groups, monocot, and dicot plants. Every group has its own distinct growing cycle composition. Some of the key differences between them will be pointed down below:

Number of cotyledons:

Every seed consists of embryos and the embryos hold the cotyledon on them. Plants that have a pair of cotyledons are called dicots. On the other hand, plants that have only one cotyledon are called monocots.

Different root system:

The monocot is a fibrous root system. It forms a mat-like structure alongside the branching roots which is different from the taproot. Dicot plants create a root system that went vertically downward from the land.

Flower Parts Count:

There are also slight differences between monocot and dicot plants when it comes to flower parts. Monocot plants part take count of three or multiplication of three. While the dicot plants follow four or five or multiplication of five parts count.

Leaves Venation Structure:

The venation structure of the plant is different in both plant types. You are going to encounter parallel venation on the monocot plants.

The dicot plant’s leaves venation can be in two different forms. It can be either on the net venation or reticulation venation structure.

What are dicot plants examples? Which plants are dicots?

It is estimated that there are around 175,000 species of dicot plants in the world. We are going to show you some common examples of them from fruit, vegetable, trees, and flower plants. You can just get underneath and get to know more about them.

Dicot fruits:

Fruits are always been one of the key forms of nutrition in our life. Regular fruits like Apples, grapes, and mango, are most well-known examples for dicot fruits. Next time you have them, you will have some different points of view for them.

Dicot Trees:

Trees have always been the most essential parts of our ecosystem. Long living trees like the oak trees belong to a group of dicot plants.

You will also find some small chestnut trees that belong to the same group of plants. However, the most exceptional will be Quaking Aspen which has heart-shaped leaves.

Dicot Vegetable:

Vegetables are healthy for our bodies. Did you know that edible veggies like soya bean, carrot, and eggplant belong to the dicot plant group. They are grown from two cotyledons rather than one like the monocot plants.

Dicot Flowers:

More or less we all admire flowers. Rose, Alcea, Foxgloves are some well known dicot flowers for their growing structure. They have a taproot and are smaller in size in most cases.

How to know if a plant is a monocot or dicot?

If you know the differences between the two plant groups, you can easily identify the right plant type. We have prepared some listicle points which will make classifying monocot and dicot plants easier for you. Here is how to know if a plant is a monocot or didn’t:

Root:

The monocot plants have fibrous roots that tend to grow in all directions. You will encounter them in the upper part of the plant.

But the main root of the dicot plant structure is a smaller branch root. The taproot does not come out of the ground rather than grow inside the land.

Vascular Tissue Arrangement:

The vascular system of the monocot plants is developed on a circular system. But the dicot plants organized the vascular tissue on a donut-like structure. If you see these things on a plant, then you can easily recognize the type of plants you are working with.

Leaves Veins:

Plants are responsible for the photosynthesis process of the plant. In most monocot plants, you are going to see parallel veins at work. On the other hand, dicot plant leaves have branching veins at the function to provide essential nutrients to the plants.

Number of flower petals:

The number of flower petals in a plant is also distinct on both monocot and dicot plants. You are going to see three or three multiplication flower parts on a monocot. Dicot plants make around five or four and five or four multiplication flower parts.

Is a bean plant a monocot or dicot?

However, the answer is hidden in the name of the two classes. The word mono means one and di means two. The last word is a cot for both plant types. A plant that has one cot is known as the monocot while the two cot plants are called the dicot plants.

You are going to see two cotyledons on a growing bean when you split the seed in half. They also have four or five multiplication flowering parts. 

The roots are below the ground and leaves have branching veins. So, beans are a great example for dicot plants. Whereas there remains no doubt that beans are dicot plants.

Final Thoughts

Dicot plants are single cotyledon plant forms. They have a taproot that grows below the ground. Most often dicot plants stay smaller in size and show off flowering parts in 4 or 5 multiplications. The venation process of the plant is created in branching veins formation.

Sharing is caring!