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| Monocotyledons
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Base Monocots: Commelinid s:
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The monocots are considered to form a monophyleticIn phylogenetics, a group is monophyletic (greek: of one stem) if all organisms in that group are known to have developed from a common ancestral form, and all descendants of that form are included in the group. Taxonomic groups that contain organisms but group which evolved from an early dicot. The earliest fossils presumed to be monocot remains date from the early CretaceousThe Cretaceous period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic period (about 135 mya) to the beginning of the Paleocene epoch of the Tertiary period (65 mya). The end of the Cretaceous also defines the period. The largest modern monocot family is the OrchidaceaeOrchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation About 1000 See List of Orchidaceae genera. Orchids Orchidaceae family) are among the most diverse of the flowering plant families, with over 1000 described genera and 25,000 (some sourc (orchids), plants which have specialized in insectSubclass Apterygota Symphypleona globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Palaeodictyoptera extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata ( dragonfl pollinationPollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). The receptive part of the carpel is called a stigma in the flower. For this reason many species of orchids produce very complex flower structures. The second largest and perhaps more notable family, the Poaceae (true grasses), have evolved in another direction, becoming highly specialized for wind pollination. Grasses produce small, generally inconspicuous flowers.
In addition to having but one embryonic cotyledon, the monocots are set apart within the flowering plants by a number of other specializations. See how to distinguish a monocot from a dicot.