dicot

Dicot, short for dicotyledon, is a traditional term for a major group of flowering plants whose seed embryo typically has two cotyledons. Historically, dicots encompassed nearly all angiosperms that were not monocots. In modern plant systematics, the term is used less as a formal clade and more as a convenience, with the core dicot group largely represented by the eudicots, while several early-diverging lineages (such as magnoliids and the most basal angiosperms) are not considered true dicots.

Typical characteristics include: leaves with net-like venation; vascular bundles in the stem arranged in a ring; a usually taproot-dominant root system (though many species have fibrous roots); pollen grains with two or three pores or furrows; floral organs commonly in multiples of four or five; and a capacity for secondary growth in many species, enabling woody forms. Seeds often contain stored nutrients in the cotyledons, with the endosperm reduced or absorbed by germination.

Taxonomy and variation can be complex. Because the traditional dicot group is not monophyletic, modern usage often restricts the term to the eudicots, the large clade that includes most familiar dicot plants. Basal angiosperms like water lilies and magnoliids fall outside this group. Nevertheless, the dicot concept remains useful in describing a broad set of morphological and developmental traits shared by many common plants.

Examples of dicot/eudicot species include roses, beans, sunflowers, oaks, maples, and many fruit crops.