NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 – Anatomy of Flowering Plants
Chapter 6 Anatomy of Flowering Plants takes students from the external features of plants studied in Chapter 5 to the internal microscopic world of plant tissues and tissue systems. It is a chapter that requires students to visualise cross-sections of roots, stems, and leaves, and understand how different tissues are organised to carry out the plant's life functions. From the meristematic tissues that drive growth to the complex tissues like xylem and phloem that transport water and food, this chapter is packed with diagram-based content that regularly features in CBSE board practicals and NEET theory questions. Must check the CBSE resources and NCERT Solutions.
The distinction between the anatomy of dicot and monocot roots and stems — and between dicot and monocot leaves — is one of the most tested topics in this chapter. NCERT Solutions for Chapter 6 Anatomy of Flowering Plants on Myclass24 provide crisp, accurate answers and diagram descriptions for all NCERT questions, helping students from all CBSE-affiliated schools across India — including those in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and beyond — prepare effectively for exams.
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Anatomy of flowering plants deals with the internal organisation of plant tissues. Tissues are groups of cells that are similar in structure and perform a common function. Plant tissues are of two types: meristematic (actively dividing) and permanent (no longer dividing, specialised).
Meristematic tissues have undifferentiated, densely cytoplasmic cells with large nuclei and no vacuoles. They are classified by position: apical meristems (shoot and root tips — responsible for primary growth in length), lateral meristems (cambium and cork cambium — responsible for secondary growth in girth), and intercalary meristems (at the base of internodes and leaves — found in grasses, help in regeneration after grazing).
Permanent tissues arise by differentiation of meristematic cells. Simple permanent tissues consist of one type of cell: Parenchyma (thin-walled, living, for storage and photosynthesis — chlorenchyma when containing chloroplasts, aerenchyma when containing air spaces in aquatic plants), Collenchyma (unevenly thickened at corners, living, flexible support — found in leaf stalks, petioles), and Sclerenchyma (thick, lignified, dead cells — sclereids and fibres, provide hard/rigid support).
| Tissue | Cell Condition | Cell Wall | Function | Location |
| Parenchyma | Living | Thin, cellulose | Storage, photosynthesis | Cortex, pith, mesophyll |
| Collenchyma | Living | Unevenly thickened (corners) | Flexible mechanical support | Dicot leaf petiole, young stem |
| Sclerenchyma | Dead | Thick, lignified | Rigid mechanical support | Bark, seed coat, nut shells |
Complex permanent tissues consist of more than one type of cell working together. Xylem conducts water and dissolved minerals upward from roots to leaves. It consists of tracheids, vessel elements (vessels), xylem fibres, and xylem parenchyma. Tracheids and vessels are dead at maturity with lignified walls. Vessels are unique to angiosperms and are absent in gymnosperms and most pteridophytes. Phloem conducts organic food (mainly sucrose) from leaves to other parts — bidirectionally. It consists of sieve tube elements, companion cells, phloem fibres, and phloem parenchyma. Sieve tubes are living cells with perforated end walls (sieve plates). Check out NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology and NCERT Solutions for Class 11 for the rest of the chapters.
The plant body is organised into three tissue systems: epidermal tissue system (outermost protective layer — epidermis, stomata, trichomes), ground tissue system (everything between epidermis and vascular tissue — cortex, pith, mesophyll), and vascular tissue system (xylem + phloem + associated tissues, forming vascular bundles).
| Feature | Dicot Root | Monocot Root | Dicot Stem | Monocot Stem |
| Vascular bundles | Radial (xylem & phloem alternate) | Radial (many) | Conjoint, collateral, open | Conjoint, collateral, closed |
| Cambium | Present (secondary growth) | Absent | Present (between xylem & phloem) | Absent |
| Pith | Absent / small | Large, distinct | Distinct | No distinct pith |
| Bundle arrangement | 2–8 xylem groups | More than 8 xylem groups | Arranged in a ring | Scattered throughout |
| Endodermis | Prominent (Casparian strips) | Prominent | Less prominent | Prominent |
| Cortex | Multilayered | Multilayered | Multilayered | Not well differentiated |
Secondary growth in dicot stems and roots involves two lateral meristems: the vascular cambium (produces secondary xylem — wood — inward, and secondary phloem outward) and the cork cambium / phellogen (produces cork / phellem outward and secondary cortex / phelloderm inward). Together, these form the periderm that replaces the epidermis in older stems and roots. Annual rings in wood (xylem) are formed due to differential activity of vascular cambium in spring (spring wood — wide vessel, light coloured) and autumn (autumn wood — narrow vessels, darker), allowing estimation of a tree's age.
The dicot leaf anatomy shows upper epidermis (with cuticle, no stomata), palisade mesophyll (compact, elongated cells — main photosynthesis), spongy mesophyll (loosely arranged cells with large intercellular spaces — gas exchange), and lower epidermis (more stomata, each with two guard cells that regulate opening and closing). Monocot leaves have similar mesophyll cells (no differentiation into palisade and spongy), bundle sheath cells surrounding vascular bundles (important in C4 photosynthesis — Kranz anatomy), and stomata on both surfaces. Myclass24's NCERT Solutions for Chapter 6 include detailed tissue-level descriptions for every diagram question.