Question

Which of the following statements is /are true?
A) If the stem is joined with solid nodes and hollow internodes, it is called a caudex.
B) In Tridax, the stem is decumbent.
C) Corm is a condensed form of rhizome growing more or less in a vertical direction.
D) Sucker is an underground modification of root.
E) Biparous type of cymose branching is seen in Saraca.
a) A, D, and E only
b) B and C only
c) B, C and E only
d) C and D only
e) D and E only

Answer 1

The decumbent stem is those stems that lie on the ground and their ends usually point upwards in the direction. The caudex is the type of the stem in which the stem is underground and the new leaves and flowering stems arise from it.

Complete step by step answer:
Tridax is the plant which is present in the family of daisy. They have simple leaves and are usually annual herbs. They have a decumbent stem. The decumbent stem is the stem in which the stem usually lies on the ground and the tip of the stem faces upward in the direction. They have a height of about 50cm and are considered as weed plants in some areas. The corm is the modified stem. They are structures present below the soil and act as the storage or the reservoir of food of the plants. The corm is similar to the rhizome. The rhizome is the swollen stem which grows in the horizontal direction. The corm grows in the vertical direction making them somewhat similar to each other.

So, the answer is ‘B and C only’.

Additional information: The sucker is the modified part of the stem and not the root. The sucker type modification is seen in the grass. Their stem usually lies close to the ground and from a point, the roots start developing. When the root and shoot arrive from that point the sampling is cut from the parent plant and is planted separately. The caudex type of the stem is when the stem is present in the underground and is swollen. The flowering stems and leaves arise from this main stem.

Note:
The stem of the plant conducts and transports the water and minerals from the soil to the leaves and transports prepared food from the leaves to other parts of the plant. The stem also plays other roles in various plants and modify themselves according to that function. Such stems which serve other purposes to the plant are called modified stems.