Flowering plants (angiosperms) are classified as monocotyledons (monocots) or dicotyledons (eudicots). Cotyledons are the food storage organ of the seed and contain the embryonic leaf. Monocots have one cotyledon and one embryonic leaf and dicots have two cotyledons and two embryonic leaves. These leaves emerge when the seed germinates. About 25% of angiosperms are monocots and they cover about 40% of the earth’s surface. Eudicots have more variety than monocots and are likely to have secondary growth, making them much bigger in girth than monocots.
St. Michael’s Graveyard has a great variety of dicot plants. However, grasses, which are monocots, cover much of the pathways and graves. So, although there is a greater variety of eudicots, the monocot count is probably higher than the eudicot count.
Flowering Plants in St. Michael’s Graveyard
Currently, 227 different flowering plants have been identified in the graveyard and only 35 are monocots.
| Monocot Species | Species count | Example |
| Grasses | 18 |
|
| Amaryllises | 5 |
|
| Sedges | 3 |
|
| Irises | 3 |
|
| Lilies | 2 |
|
| Arums | 2 |
|
| Orchids | 1 |
|
| Rushes | 1 |
|
| Total | 35 |
Monocots have immense economic importance as they include the cereal crops, wheat, barley, oats, maize and rice which feed the world. In the UK approximately 20 million tonnes of monocots are grown for food for humans and livestock. Whereas, less than 10 million tonnes of eudicots (mainly potatoes) are grown for food.
The following table shows the distinguishing features of monocots and eudicots:
| Feature | Monocot | Example or explanation | Eudicot | Example or explanation |
| Seed Structure | One cotyledon | A maize seed | Two cotyledons | A bean seed |
| First or Embryonic Leaf | One leaf | One embryo leaf emerges from ground on germination | Two leaves | Two embryonic leaves emerge from ground on germination |
| Flower parts e.g. petals, sepals, anthers, stamens |
Flower parts in multiples of 3 |
|
Flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5 |
|
| Leaf veins | Parallel veins in leaf | tulip | Netted or reticulate veins in leaf | hazel |
| Leaf orientation | Often vertical | grass | Often horizontal | oak |
| Leaf colour | Similar colour on both sides | bluebell | Upper side colour often darker | rose |
| Pollen structure | Contains 1 furrow | Contains 3 furrows | ||
| Root Structure | Fibrous, shallow roots | sedge | Deep tap roots | dandelion |
|
Stem Transport System
|
Scattered vascular bundles | no secondary growth | Vascular bundles arranged in a ring | Secondary growth possible |
Very few monocots are trees as they are unable to produce secondary growth and all the flowering trees in the graveyard are eudicots. The following table shows examples of monocots and eudicots in common plant groups:
| Plant group | Monocot examples | Eudicot examples |
| Trees | Bamboo, yuccas, palms | Nearly all flowering trees |
| Grasses | Wheat, barley, oats rice, maize | None |
| Vegetables | Maize, grains, onions, ginger, turmeric | Pulses, legumes, carrots, cabbages, potatoes |
| Fruits | Pineapples, coconuts, dates | Apples, pears, kiwi, berries |
| Plants grown for flowers | Orchids, Iris, lilies, daffodils, bluebells | Roses, sunflowers, daisies, peonies, poppies, delphiniums, thistles, anemones |
References: John Brownbill https://www.heenecemetery.org.uk/blog/monocots-and-eudicots-in-st-michaels-graveyard
NB: Modern molecular botany using DNA information, divides flowering plants into monocots and eudicots. The term eudicots includes dicots and is best on current scientific knowledge.
Pat Brownbill