Top: Wheat Germinating from 13 Mar 2022

Bottom: Pea Germinating from 18 Feb 2022

Drawing a monocot germinating (wheat) and a dicot germinating (pea) on the same page made me realise how different the root structures can be. The wheat roots radiate out from a single point, whereas the pea produces a central tap root with other smaller roots branching off of it.

I have vague memories of being taught the differences in root structure for monocots and dicots during my degree, but drawing them really helped me to understand it.

Wheat: The painting shows four stages of wheat germinating: 1) seed, 2) seed with primary shoot and root, 3) seed with first leaf and three roots, and 4) seed with two leaves and four roots.

Pea: The painting shows four stages of a pea germinating: 1) seed, 2) seed with primary shoot and root, 3) seed with a long shoot, a new compound leaf and a central root with side roots and 4) a seed with a long shoot, three compound leaves and many roots.