What kind of monocots have branched leaves

These large, bubble-like cells, located just beneath the epidermis, are thought to help the leaf bend or fold. This is important because folding the leaf changes its exposure to light and the amount of water it retains.

Lastly, monocot leaves have stomata on both their upper and lower surfaces. Leaves like this are referred to as amphistomatous. Dicot leaves are not as linear in shape as monocot leaves, and their vascular structures form net-like veins, instead of parallel ones. This reticulate venation pattern generally has one of two appearances. A leaf with a pinnated pattern like a feather has a central vein running down the middle of the leaf with other veins branching off to either side of it.

A leaf with a palmate pattern has veins branching out from a single one to form a shape resembling the palm of a hand. Typically, dicot leaves either have more stomata on the lower side of the leaf, or they have stomata only on the lower side of the leaf.

Leaves with stomata only on the lower side are known as hypostomatous leaves. This arrangement of stomata allows dicot leaves to conserve water. They contain the highest number of chloroplasts of any cells in the plant, so they are optimized for photosynthesis. Spongy mesophyll is located below the palisade mesophyll. Its cells, which also contain lots of chloroplasts, are further apart than the cells of the palisade mesophyll. The loose-packed nature of spongy mesophyll allows gases to move through the tissue of the leaf more easily.

Trichomes : Trichomes give leaves a fuzzy appearance as in this a sundew Drosera sp. Leaf trichomes include b branched trichomes on the leaf of Arabidopsis lyrata and c multibranched trichomes on a mature Quercus marilandica leaf. The palisade parenchyma also called the palisade mesophyll aids in photosynthesis and has column-shaped, tightly-packed cells. It may be present in one, two, or three layers. Below the palisade parenchyma are loosely-arranged cells of an irregular shape.

These are the cells of the spongy parenchyma or spongy mesophyll. The air space found between the spongy parenchyma cells allows gaseous exchange between the leaf and the outside atmosphere through the stomata. In aquatic plants, the intercellular spaces in the spongy parenchyma help the leaf float. Both layers of the mesophyll contain many chloroplasts.

Mesophyll : a top The central mesophyll is sandwiched between an upper and lower epidermis. The mesophyll has two layers: an upper palisade layer and a lower spongy layer. Stomata on the leaf underside allow gas exchange. A waxy cuticle covers all aerial surfaces of land plants to minimize water loss.

The numerous small bumps in the palisade parenchyma cells are chloroplasts. The bumps protruding from the lower surface of the leaf are glandular trichomes. Similar to the stem, the leaf contains vascular bundles composed of xylem and phloem. The xylem consists of tracheids and vessels, which transport water and minerals to the leaves.

The phloem transports the photosynthetic products from the leaf to the other parts of the plant. A single vascular bundle, no matter how large or small, always contains both xylem and phloem tissues. Xylem and phloem : This scanning electron micrograph shows xylem and phloem in the leaf vascular bundle. Coniferous plant species that thrive in cold environments, such as spruce, fir, and pine, have leaves that are reduced in size and needle-like in appearance.

These needle-like leaves have sunken stomata and a smaller surface area, two attributes that aid in reducing water loss. In hot climates, plants such as cacti have succulent leaves that help to conserve water.

Many aquatic plants have leaves with wide lamina that can float on the surface of the water; a thick waxy cuticle on the leaf surface that repels water. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Plant Form and Physiology. Search for:. In most species, monocot leaves have parallel arrangement while dicots have reticulate venation of leaves.

Stomata are pores found in the epidermis of leaves that facilitate gas exchange , i. Monocot leaves have stomata on both their surfaces, but some dicots have stomata on only one surface usually the lower one of their leaves.

Moreover stomata in monocot leaves are arranged in highly ordered rows, whereas the dicots have more of a crazy-paving of them. Stomata are bordered by a pair of specialized guard cells that regulate the size of the stomatal opening.

Monocots and dicots differ in the design of the guard cells; they are dumbbell-shaped in monocots and look like a pair of sausages in dicots. Bulliform cells help regulate water loss. They are present on the upper surface of the leaves in some monocots. When water supply is abundant, bulliform cells become turgid and consequently the leaf straightens up, which exposes the leaf and leads to evaporation of excess water.

Conversely when water is in short supply, bulliform cells shrink and the leaf curls in and becomes less susceptible to water loss through exposure. There is also a different type of pollen structure present in the two classes. Monocots developed from plants with a single pore or furrow in the pollen, whereas dicots developed from plants with three furrows in their pollen structure.

Roots can develop either from a main radicle or arise in clusters from the nodes in the stem, called adventitious roots. Monocots are known to have adventitious roots whereas dicots have a radicle from which a root develops. A fibrous root system , with several moderately branching roots growing from the stem, is common in monocotyledons. In contrast, dicots have a taproot system , a tapering root that grows downward and has other roots sprouting laterally from it.

Secondary growth is found in dicots but absent in monocots. Secondary growth helps in the production of wood and bark in trees. There are about 65, species of monocots. By Kaitlyn Ersek on Sep 14, AM Plants can be separated into two distinct categories: monocots and dicots. Monocot vs. Dicot Monocots differ from dicots in four distinct structural features: leaves, stems, roots and flowers. Roots: Fibrous vs. Stems: Arranging the vascular tissue As the monocots develop, the stem arranges the vascular tissue the circulatory system of the plant sporadically.

Leaves: Parallel veins vs. Flowers: How many flower petals does your plant have? What Does This Mean for You? Works Cited Phelan, Jay. Related posts.

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