Question

‌ ‌How many of the following contain zygomorphic flowers?
Pea, gulmohar, bean, cassia, mustard, datura, chilli.

Answer 1

‌ ‌ Hint:‌ ‌ ‌‌A zygomorphic flower has bilateral symmetry and can be divided into two halves when an axis passes through one plane of symmetry whereas an actinomorphic flower can be divided into more than three divisions from any plane.

Complete‌ ‌answer:‌ ‌ ‌A flower having unequal floral parts is capable of dividing into symmetrical halves when an axis passes through the longitudinal plane. This type of flower is known as a zygomorphic flower. They exhibit bilateral or zygomorphic symmetry. Most of the flowering plants that belong to the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae have zygomorphic flowers. They are commonly known as legumes. Plants such as pea, bean, cassia, and gulmohar belong to Fabaceae. Therefore, four plants show a zygomorphic flower. Zygomorphic flowers can be seen in orchids and plants belonging to the pea family. Zygomorphic flowers show better interaction with pollinators as compared to actinomorphic flowers. They help to exclude fewer effective pollinators. The zygomorphic flowers are unequal in size specially corolla has unequal sized petals. Therefore, they are irregular flowers. They are characteristic features of angiosperm plants. These flowers produce two mirror images when bisected.

Note:‌ ‌ ‌Flowers that can be divided into two halves from one plane is known as a zygomorphic flower. Pea, cassia, gulmohar, and bean show zygomorphic flowers. Whereas plants such as datura, mustard, and chilli show actinomorphic flowers. Actinomorphic flowers are usually radially symmetrical and can be divided into parts through any axis.