Q.
In the In Bloom event description, “Monocots, eudicots (dicots), and flowering plants that are neither monocots nor eudicots, such as Magnoliids and Nymphaeales” are listed under the “Topics Removed” heading. However, at the Matthaei workshop, a significant amount of time was devoted to monocots vs. dicots. Could you please clarify if it will, in fact, be included, and to what extent? Thank you.
A.
This topic will not be included on the In Bloom event test this year. Students will not be asked to distinguish these groups of plants and there will not be any questions about the differences between these groups. Students should understand that all of these plants (monocots and dicots) are angiosperms, and they should be familiar with the diversity of angiosperms (for example, they should recognize that magnolias, water lilies, palm trees, grasses, lilies, rose bushes, oak trees, bean plants, and sunflowers are all angiosperms). Focus on the things that monocots and dicots have in common; for example, students should be able to identify petals, stamens, and pistils, whether they are presented with a monocot flower or a dicot flower.
