Meaning and usage of the word dicotyledon in English

The term "dicotyledon" refers to a specific group of flowering plants that have two seed leaves, or cotyledons, in their embryos. The word "dicotyledon" is derived from two Greek words: "dicho" meaning "two," and "tylon" meaning "seed." In the early stages of a dicot seed's development, it grows two large, flat cotyledons, which look like small, flattened leaves. These cotyledons absorb nutrients from the seed coat and endosperm, allowing the embryo to grow before it emerges from the seed. After germination, the cotyledons often become embedded in the stem and lose their green color, but they still play a role in the plant's metabolism. The dicot flowering plants make up a large and diverse group of plants, including trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants. Some well-known dicots include rosebushes, sunflowers, squash, and tobacco. Dicots have many distinctive characteristics, such as alternating leaves, net-veined leaves, and normally bilateral symmetry in their flowers. Understanding the differences between monocots (which have a single cotyledon) and dicots is important for plant taxonomy, as well as for agricultural and horticultural purposes.