210 



Science of Plant Life 





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Fig. 126. A pineapple field. The pineapple fruit is an enlarged fleshy 

 flower cluster. 



that flowering plants are divided into two great groups, the 

 monocots and dicots. The monocots have parallel- veined 

 leaves ; the bundles of the stem are closed (have no cambium) ; 

 and the bundles are not arranged in a circle. The dicots in- 

 clude forms with net- veined leaves ; the stem bundles are 

 open (have a cambium) ; and they are arranged in a circle. 



The terms '' monocot " and " dicot " (or, as they are fre- 

 quently written, " monocotyledon " and " dicotyledon ") are 

 based on the apparent number of cotyledons in the embryo, 

 whether there are one or two. Any one who has watched 

 plants beginning to grow in a garden will recall the two 

 cotyledons of the bean, pumpkin, sunflower, and radish, raised 

 above the soil. It will also be recalled that these plants 

 have net-veined leaves. The cotyledon of a monocot is 

 usually an absorbing organ that remains below the ground in 

 contact with the endosperm. 



