Monocot Border

Part of BBG’s Plant Family Collection, the monocot border highlights plants that have one cotyledon (the first leaf produced on a seedling). Monocots generally have leaves with parallel veins and flower parts in threes or multiples of three—three or six petals and three or six stamens (the male parts of the flower), for example. There are almost 60,000 plant species categorized as monocots, including orchids, grasses, onions, bananas, lilies, irises, and arums.

Curator Mike Mauro