NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 5 – Morphology of Flowering Plants
Chapter 5 Morphology of Flowering Plants is one of the most visually descriptive and practical chapters in Class 11 Biology. It deals with the external structure — size, shape, colour, and arrangement — of different parts of flowering plants, from roots and stems to leaves, inflorescences, flowers, fruits, and seeds. While students who have a garden or farm background may find many concepts familiar, this chapter demands precise botanical terminology that takes careful study to master. Must check the CBSE resources and NCERT Solutions.
The chapter also includes the description of two important plant families — Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Liliaceae — which appear in CBSE practical exams and NEET theory questions. NCERT Solutions for Chapter 5 Morphology of Flowering Plants on Myclass24 are structured to help students learn and retain the correct terminology, formula representations, and floral diagrams that examiners look for. Students from states like Kerala, Assam, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir who follow the CBSE pattern will find these solutions extremely useful for both board practicals and competitive exams.
Download PDF – NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 5 Morphology of Flowering Plants
Morphology is the study of external form and structure of organisms. In flowering plants (angiosperms), the plant body is organised into root system (underground) and shoot system (above ground — stem, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds). Each part has a specific morphology adapted to its function.
The root is the descending part of the plant axis, generally non-green, and positively geotropic (grows toward gravity). The primary root develops from the radicle of the embryo. In dicots, the primary root persists and gives rise to secondary and tertiary roots — forming a taproot system (e.g., carrot, turnip, radish). In monocots, the primary root is short-lived and replaced by fibrous roots arising from the base of the stem (e.g., wheat, maize). Roots can be modified for storage (carrot — conical, turnip — napiform, radish — fusiform), support (prop roots of banyan), respiration (pneumatophores of Rhizophora in mangroves), and parasitism (haustoria of Cuscuta). Check out NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology and NCERT Solutions for Class 11 for the rest of the chapters.
The stem develops from the plumule of the embryo. It is the ascending part, generally green and photosynthetic when young. The stem bears nodes (where leaves arise) and internodes (the portions between two nodes). Stems can also be modified — underground stems for storage (rhizome in ginger, tuber in potato, bulb in onion, corm in Colocasia), surface runners (stolons in strawberry), and special structures like thorns (Citrus), tendrils (Passiflora), and phylloclade (Opuntia/cactus — flattened stem doing photosynthesis).
| Root Modification | Function | Example |
| Conical | Food storage | Carrot (Daucus carota) |
| Napiform | Food storage | Turnip (Brassica rapa) |
| Fusiform | Food storage | Radish (Raphanus sativus) |
| Prop roots | Mechanical support | Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) |
| Pneumatophores | Respiration (mangrove) | Rhizophora |
| Haustoria | Parasitism / nutrition | Cuscuta (dodder) |
| Stilt roots | Support in wet soil | Maize, Sugarcane |
A leaf is the main photosynthetic organ, typically flat and green. It originates from the node and has three main parts: leaf base (attaches to stem), petiole (leaf stalk), and lamina (leaf blade). Leaves may be simple (single undivided lamina) or compound (lamina divided into leaflets — pinnately compound like Rose, or palmately compound like Silk Cotton). Venation can be reticulate (net-like — dicots) or parallel (monocots). Phyllotaxy (leaf arrangement on stem) can be alternate (one leaf per node — China rose), opposite (two leaves per node — Calotropis), or whorled (more than two — Nerium).
A flower is the reproductive unit of angiosperms. It has four whorls: calyx (sepals), corolla (petals), androecium (male — stamens), and gynoecium (female — pistils/carpels). Flowers can be bisexual (both androecium and gynoecium) or unisexual (one of them). Actinomorphic flowers can be divided into equal halves in any plane (radial symmetry — mustard, datura); zygomorphic flowers can only be divided along one plane (bilateral symmetry — pea, gulmohar). Floral formula uses standard symbols to describe flower structure concisely.
| Family | Floral Formula | Fruit Type | Economic Importance | Key Examples |
| Fabaceae | ⊕ K(5) C1+2+(2) A(9)+1 G1 | Legume / Pod | Pulses, fodder, dye | Pea, gram, soybean, moong |
| Solanaceae | ⊕ K(5) C(5) A5 G(2) | Berry / Capsule | Vegetables, medicines | Potato, tomato, chilli, tobacco |
| Liliaceae | ⊕ P3+3 A3+3 G(3) | Capsule / Berry | Ornamental, medicines | Onion, garlic, Aloe, tulip |
Fruits develop from the ovary after fertilisation. True fruits develop only from the ovary (mango, tomato). False fruits (pseudocarps) develop from parts other than ovary (apple — thalamus; strawberry — thalamus). Fruits are classified as simple (single ovary of single flower — mango, coconut), aggregate (multiple ovaries of single flower — raspberry), and composite (multiple flowers — fig, mulberry, pineapple). Seeds consist of seed coat, cotyledon(s), and embryo. Dicot seeds (e.g., gram) have two cotyledons; monocot seeds (e.g., maize) have one cotyledon (scutellum). Myclass24 NCERT Solutions for Chapter 5 cover all morphological terms with accurate, diagram-based answers for CBSE and NEET.