Which plant group has leaves with parallel venation and a fibrous root system?

Which plant group has leaves with parallel venation and a fibrous root system?

• A. Grasses
• B. Broadleaf forbs
• C. Conifers
• D. Mosses

Answer: (A)

Plants with leaves showing parallel venation are typically monocots, and a fibrous root system is a hallmark of monocots like grasses. In grasses, the veins run in parallel along the length of the leaf, and the roots develop as a network of many thin fibers spreading from the base of the stem rather than a single dominant root. This combination is characteristic of grasses, helping them spread quickly and stabilize soil in open habitats. Broadleaf forbs, by contrast, usually have net-like (reticulate) venation in their leaves and often rely on a taproot or a combination of root types rather than a dense fibrous network. Conifers have needle-like leaves with different vascular patterns that don’t show parallel venation, and mosses are non-vascular with simple leaf-like structures and rhizoids rather than true leaves with venation and true roots. So the plant group that fits both features—parallel venation and a fibrous root system—is grasses.

Plants with leaves showing parallel venation are typically monocots, and a fibrous root system is a hallmark of monocots like grasses. In grasses, the veins run in parallel along the length of the leaf, and the roots develop as a network of many thin fibers spreading from the base of the stem rather than a single dominant root. This combination is characteristic of grasses, helping them spread quickly and stabilize soil in open habitats.

Broadleaf forbs, by contrast, usually have net-like (reticulate) venation in their leaves and often rely on a taproot or a combination of root types rather than a dense fibrous network. Conifers have needle-like leaves with different vascular patterns that don’t show parallel venation, and mosses are non-vascular with simple leaf-like structures and rhizoids rather than true leaves with venation and true roots. So the plant group that fits both features—parallel venation and a fibrous root system—is grasses.