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Morphology of Flowering Plants

Biology · Class 11NCERT pp. 55–692 sets × 25 questions

Key facts and formulas for Morphology of Flowering Plants, three worked sample questions, and two full practice sets. Every question has a hint, a reason for every option and a step-by-step solution, with a calculator or animation where one helps. English and Hinglish.

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Key facts for this chapter

IdeaRule or fact
Root systemsDicots: tap root from radicle. Monocots: fibrous roots from stem base. Banyan prop roots are adventitious.
Root regions (apex up)Root cap, meristematic, elongation, maturation (root hairs).
Root modificationsProp (banyan), stilt (maize), pneumatophores (Rhizophora), storage tap root (carrot, radish, turnip), sweet potato is adventitious.
Stem modificationsRhizome (ginger), bulb (onion), corm (Colocasia), stem tuber (potato), thorn from axillary bud, tendril, phylloclade (Opuntia).
Leaf and phyllotaxyChina rose alternate, guava opposite, Alstonia whorled. Monocot leaf base is a sheath; legumes have pulvinus.
InflorescenceRacemose: acropetal. Cymose: axis ends in a flower, basipetal. Sunflower: capitulum.
Flower symmetry, position, aestivationZygomorphic: pea, Cassia. Epigynous: inferior ovary. Calotropis valvate, China rose twisted, Cassia imbricate, pea vexillary.
Androecium and gynoeciumBrinjal epipetalous, lily epiphyllous, China rose monoadelphous, pea diadelphous. Anther has 4 pollen-sacs. Lotus, rose apocarpous.
PlacentationPea marginal, lemon axile, Dianthus free central, sunflower basal.
Fruits, seeds, familiesCoconut drupe, apple thalamus, tomato berry, pea legume. Pea non-endospermous. Mustard K2+2 C4 A2+4 G(2); Fabaceae (9)+1; Liliaceae trimerous; papaya dioecious; pea hypogeal.

Three sample questions

Q1. Which pairing of plant and root system is correct?
  1. Mustard - fibrous roots
  2. Wheat - fibrous roots
  3. Banyan - tap root
  4. Grass - tap root
Hint and solution

Hint: Monocots like wheat and grasses have a root system that is not from the radicle; mustard is a dicot.

  1. Dicot → tap root; monocot → fibrous — Tap root comes from the radicle and is typical of dicots. Fibrous roots are typical of monocots.
  2. Mustard = dicot → tap root — So mustard cannot have fibrous roots. This removes option A.
  3. Banyan and grass: not tap root — Banyan has adventitious prop roots and grass has fibrous roots, so options C and D fail.
  4. Wheat = monocot → fibrous roots — Only wheat with fibrous roots is a correct pairing. Option B.
Answer: B. Mustard has a tap root, wheat a fibrous system, and banyan and grass have adventitious roots.
Q2. In monocots the fibrous roots arise from
  1. the base of the stem after the primary root dies early
  2. the radicle which persists for life
  3. the cotyledons
  4. the root cap
Hint and solution

Hint: In monocots the primary root does not last long. What replaces it?

  1. Monocot: radicle is short-lived — In monocots the primary root, formed from the radicle, lasts only a short time and dies.
  2. Replaced by roots from the stem base — New thin roots of similar size grow from the base of the stem. These form the fibrous system.
  3. Rule out others — The radicle persisting is dicot tap root. Cotyledons and root cap do not produce roots.
  4. Answer: base of the stem — So fibrous roots arise from the base of the stem after the primary root dies. Option A.
Answer: A. The primary root of monocots is short-lived and is replaced by roots from the stem base.
Q3. Assertion (A): The roots of the banyan tree are called adventitious roots.
Reason (R): Adventitious roots arise from a part of the plant other than the radicle.
  1. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
  2. A is true but R is false
  3. A is false but R is true
  4. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Hint and solution

Hint: Ask what the word adventitious means: where does the root originate?

  1. Adventitious = not from radicle — Roots arising from any part other than the radicle are called adventitious. So R is true.
  2. Banyan prop roots arise from branches — Banyan roots hang from branches and reach the soil, so they are adventitious. A is true.
  3. R explains A — The reason gives the origin that makes banyan roots adventitious.
  4. Both true, R explains A — So both are true and R is the correct explanation. Option D.
Answer: D. The term refers to the origin of the root, and banyan roots grow from the stem or branches.

How to use this chapter

Read the NCERT pages first, then attempt Set 1 without the hints. Note every wrong answer in a mistake list, read the reason for each option, and retry Set 2 two days later. A topic is solid when you can say why each wrong option is wrong.

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