Lecture #13- Monocots

Question 1

What are the 3 main characteristics of monocots?

Answer 1

• All monophyletic
• 1 cotyledon
• Aquatic or semi aquatic grasses

Question 2

Characteristics of the Family Aeoraceae (sweet flag)

Answer 2

-Rhizomes are used for food and medicine
-chewing them is good for relieving headaches
-grows and looks like a lily
- 3 petals and sepals
-long green inflorescence (spike)
-

Question 3

Characteristics of the Family Alismataceae (Water Plantains)

Answer 3

• Common aquatic plant
• Petals in groups of 3
• Veins in leaves are lateral

Question 4

Characteristics of the Family Araceae (The Aroids)

Answer 4

• Spathe and Spadix

- bract and spike= aroid

Question 5

What is cool about Duckweeds?

Answer 5

They are some of the smallest monocots.

• They are aquatic
• They have a single male and female part on each

Question 6

Characteristics of Hydrocharitaceae (Various Water weeds)

Answer 6

• Flowers produced underwater and float up to the surface

- female flowers are big enough to create a depression so the male pollen flowers can flow right into it

Question 7

What are the morphological adaptations for living in water?

Answer 7

• Reduced Leaves
• branching or small petals
• -> causes less drag and less likely to be ripped out

Question 8

Why is the branched shape of aquatic plants beneficial for photosynthesis?

Answer 8

• smaller area reduces the amount of photosynthetic machinery needed for CO2 in CO2 poor areas
• ->shape makes it more efficient in catching CO2

Question 9

Characteristics of the Family Potamogetonaceae (Pond weeds)?

Answer 9

• Borad floating or submerged leaves (photosynthesis occurring at both)
• Flowers are inconspicuous

Question 10

Characteristics of the Family Zosteraceae (Eel Grass)?

Answer 10

• important food for snails

- flowers are rarely seen (don’t need to be big and flashy because they don’t need to attract pollinators)

Question 11

Characteristics of Dioscoreaceae (Yams)?

Answer 11

• Progesteron can be extracted for the production of birth control pills
• when cut in half, it has the same vascular bundles as monocots
• Tuberous roots are filled with steroids
• Arent relaxed to sweet potatoes

Question 12

What used to be in the family Liliaceae?

Answer 12

We used to put all monocots in this group that weren’t grasses

Question 13

What is the largest family of plants?

Answer 13

Orchids

~20 000 species

Question 14

What is a Graminoid?

Answer 14

Common name to say that something looks like a grass

Question 15

What is the most important family in terms of carbs?

Answer 15

Poaceae

Question 16

What is the Pineapple Family?

Answer 16

Bromeliaceae

- leaves snapped to collect water on the top and can create new ecosystems

Question 17

Characteristic of the Family Cyperaceae

Answer 17

Sedges

• have edges ans triangular cross sections
• can easily be rolled

Question 18

Characteristics of the Family Typhaceae?

Answer 18

Cat tail

-Spike (male) on top of the brown inflorescence (female)

Question 19

What is the Banana fam?

Answer 19

Musaceae

Question 20

What are the top Monocot crops?

Answer 20

Corn
Wheat 
Rice
Onions
Palm
Bananas
Pineapple
Yams