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NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 Notes Anatomy Of Flowering Plants- Download PDF Notes

NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 Notes Anatomy Of Flowering Plants- Download PDF Notes

Edited By Irshad Anwar | Updated on Apr 28, 2025 04:48 PM IST

The NCERT Chapter 6 Anatomy of Flowering Plants is a very important chapter from an exam point of view. It gives you a basic idea of the different types of plant tissues such as meristematic tissue, permanent tissue and the tissue system. Students will also learn about specialized tissues such as xylem and phloem that transport water, minerals, and nutrients throughout the plant, making sure that plant stays healthy and functional. Anatomy of Dicotyledonous and monocotyledons plants, including their root, stem and leaf, secondary growth, vascular cambium, cork cambium are explained in very easy manner along with labelled diagram by our subject experts. Students must go through each topic in the anatomy of flowering plants in the easiest and most effective way possible with the help of NCERT Notes for Class 11.

This Story also Contains
  1. Detailed Notes for Chapter 6: Anatomy Of Flowering Plants
  2. The Tissues
  3. The Tissue System
  4. Anatomy of Dicotyledonous and Monocotyledonous Plants
  5. Secondary Growth
  6. Important Topics for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants
  7. Most Important Questions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants
  8. Approach to Solve Questions of Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants
  9. Chapter-Wise NCERT Class 11 Notes Biology
NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 Notes Anatomy Of Flowering Plants- Download PDF Notes
NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 Notes Anatomy Of Flowering Plants- Download PDF Notes

Class 11 Biology chapter 6 notes also cover all the important concepts related to this chapter, which are useful in various competitive exams. This will help you to revise these major concepts given in a short period of time during CBSE Board exam preparation. The anatomy of roots, stems, and leaves is explored in detail, showing how each organ perform different functions. Questions from these topics appear frequently in the exams because of which it becomes very important to grasp these concepts and topics efficiently and gain confidence to answer the questions with skill. Having revision notes and NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6 handy is beneficial to save your time.

Also, students can refer to,

Detailed Notes for Chapter 6: Anatomy Of Flowering Plants

To fully understand and grasp the key concepts, it's important to thoroughly go through the notes, which are provided below with detailed explanations and examples.

The Tissues

A group of similar or dissimilar cells that perform essentially the same function and have a common origin is called a tissue. Tissues can be classified into two main types:

  1. Meristematic tissues

  2. Permanent tissues

Meristematic Tissue

All the cells of a plant embryo are capable of division, but with the growth of the plant, this feature is confined to certain regions. Such embryonic regions that have the capability of unlimited growth and cell divisions are said to be meristems . A meristem is a region in which cell divisions occur.

The Characteristics of Meristematic Cells:

The following are the main characteristics of a meristematic tissue.

(1) The cells of meristematic tissue are thin-walled and are compactly arranged without any intercellular spaces.

(2) They take a deep stain and have larger nuclei.

(3) They have dense cytoplasm either with very small vacuoles or without any vacuole.

(4) The protoplast of meristematic cells is devoid of reserve food materials and plastids, and it has a poorly developed endoplasmic reticulum.

Classification of Meristematic Tissues

Meristems based on position in the plant body are divided into three main types:

  • Apical meristem: This meristem occurs at the apices of roots and shoots. It is responsible for the increase in length of the root and shoot axis.

    Intercalary meristem: This meristem lies between regions of permanent tissues. It is responsible for the increase in length of the plant or its organs.

  • Lateral meristems: This meristem is present along the lateral sides of the stem and root. It is responsible for the increase in diameter and formation of secondary permanent tissues.

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Permanent Tissues

Permanent tissues are formed as the result of division and differentiation in meristematic tissues. On the basis of constituent cells, permanent tissues are of two types:

Simple and complex tissue

  1. Simple tissue - Simple tissues are homogeneous and composed of only one type of cell. They are further divided into three types:

Parenchyma

  • It is the most abundant cell in plants.
  • They are oval, isodiametric, or polygonal with intercellular spaces.
  • Plasmodesmata are commonly present.
  • They are involved in various functions like photosynthesis, respiration, secretion, and storage.

Collenchyma

  • Usually found in stems beneath the epidermis.
  • They are living cells and contain protoplasast.
  • Being flexible, it provides tensile strength to the plant body.

Sclerenchyma

  • Composed of thick-walled cells.
  • These are considered dead cells.
  • They have a lignin deposit.

    2. Complex Tissue - A complex tissue is a collection of different types of cells that form a structural unit and perform a specific function. Xylem and phloem present in plants are complex tissues.

Xylem -It is mainly concerned with the conduction of water and minerals and also provides support. It is composed of:

  • Xylem vessels
  • Tracheids
  • Xylem Parenchyma
  • Xylem fibres

Phloem - Phloem is a specialized complex tissue mainly responsible for the transport of food materials. It consists of :

  • Sieve tubes
  • Companion cells
  • Phloem fibres
  • Phloem parenchyma

The Tissue System

A tissue system usually consists of only one tissue or a collection of tissues that perform the same function. There are mainly 3 types of tissue systems:

  • Epidermal tissue system

  • The ground tissue system

  • Vascular tissue system

Epidermal Tissue System

  • They form the epidermis of the plants.

  • They have compactly packed cells.

  • They have large vacuoles.

  • If the epidermis is absent, it is called epiblema.

  • It is modified to form

    • Stomata

      • In Dicotyledonous, there are bean-shaped stomata.

      • In grasses, a dumbbell-shaped stoma is present.

    • Root hair

      • It is a unicellular structure.

    • Shoot hair

      • It is multicellular

The Ground Tissue System

  • It forms the main bulk of the plant body, and it extends from the epidermis to the centre of the axis.
  • The ground system can be distinguished into the cortex, pericycle, pith, and medullary rays.

Vascular Tissue System

  • It consists of a variable number of vascular bundles which are arranged in a ring in roots.

    The vascular bundles conduct water and raw food materials from roots to leaves and prepared food from leaves to different parts.

    On the basis of the arrangement of xylem and phloem, they are of 3 types

    • Radial

      • Present in roots.

    • Conjoint closed

      • Present in the stem.

    • Conjoint open

Anatomy of Dicotyledonous and Monocotyledonous Plants

Dicotyledonous Root

  • This is the outermost layer of thin-walled cells.

  • Usually,2-6 vascular bundles are present.

  • Vessels appear angular or polygonal in transaction.

  • Cambium appears as a secondary meristem at the time of secondary growth.

  • Pith is absent or poorly developed.

dicot root

Monocotyledons Root

  • The pericycle gives rise to lateral roots only.

  • Usually, 6-20 vascular bundles are present.

  • Vessels appear oval or rounded in transaction.

  • Cambium is altogether absent.

  • The pith is large and well-developed.

monocot root

Dicotyledonous Stem

  • In a dicot stem, vascular bundles are conjoint, collateral, endarch, and open.

  • Vascular bundles are arranged in a ring and are of nearly the same size.

  • The phloem is composed of sieve tubes, companion cells, and phloem parenchyma.

  • Pith is present.

  • Secondary growth occurs in the dicot stem

  • Wood formation occurs.

Monocotyledons Stem

  • Ground tissue in monocot stems is usually undifferentiated.

  • Vascular bundles are conjoint, collateral, endarch, and closed.

  • Vascular bundles are scattered and are of various sizes.

  • Phloem parenchyma is absent in this stem.

  • Pith is absent.

monocot stem

Dicotyledonous (Dorsiventral) Leaf

  • The dicot leaf is dorsiventral.

  • Stomata are mostly confined to the lower epidermis.

  • It has reticulate venation.

  • They exhibit Kranz anatomy.

  • A single main vein is present, which runs through the centre of the lamina.

  • Vascular bundles are of conjoint, collateral, closed type

  • Bulliform cells are absent.

dicot leaf

Monocotyledons (Isobilateral) Leaf

  • It is isobilateral ie..same from both sides.

  • It has equal stomata on both lower and upper epidermis.

  • It has a parallel Venation.

  • The mesophyll is not differentiated.

  • The diameter of veins and veinlets are the same.

Secondary Growth

  • It leads to an increase in the girth of plants.

  • Tissue involved in secondary growth are vascular cambium, cork cambium

Vascular Cambium

It is responsible for secondary growth in the stellar region.

Formation of Vascular Cambium

  • In the dicot stem, vascular cambium is partly secondary in origin because intrafascicular cambium is already present within vascular bundles between the primary xylem and primary phloem.

  • After dedifferentiation in medullary rays, arch cells are considered as intrafascicular cambium.

  • The vascular cambium produces secondary cambium at the inner side and secondary phloem at the outer side.

  • The activity of the cambium is 8 times more, due to the formation of secondary phloem outer side.

  • It leads to wood formation.

Types of Wood

There are 2 types of wood.

Sap or Alburnum

  • The outer light coloured region of the wood is said to be sapwood.

  • It is present at the periphery.

  • This wood consists of living cells which are functional.

  • They help in conducting water.

  • Less commercial use.

Heart or Duramen

  • The inner dark coloured region is known as heartwood.

  • This wood consists of dead cells.

  • They have tylose in tracheal plugs.

  • More of commercial use.

Cork Cambium- It leads to the formation of the cork.

  • It is a protective layer which replaces epidermis.

  • During secondary growth, the girth of the plant is increased by periderm formation.

  • It is composed of dead cells and are arranged in rows.

  • Periderm replaces the primary cortex.

Formation of cork cambium

  • They are formed by the activity of de-differentiation in the primary cortex in the middle region.

  • After the formation of cork cambium, they divide and cut off the cell towards the endodermis and epidermis called phellogen.

  • Phelloderm

    • They are the cells cut off from the phellogen towards the endodermis.

  • Phellem (cork)

    • They are cut off from the cork cambium toward the epidermis.

Secondary Growth in Roots

  • Monocots root does not exhibit secondary growth.

  • During secondary growth in the dicot root, two secondary meristems develop: vascular cambium and phellogen.

  • All dicot root show secondary growth in thickness.

    • Conjunctive tissue in roots undergoes de-differentiation to form intrafascicular cambium, which is responsible for secondary growth.

Subject Wise NCERT Exemplar Solutions

Important Topics for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants

The topics of the chapter are mentioned below-

1. Tissue System

2. Anatomy of Monocotyledonous and Dicotyledonous Plants

Subject Wise NCERT Solutions

Most Important Questions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants

Below are a few solved questions:

Q1. Match the following

Column A

Column B

A. Meristem

(i) Photosynthesis, storage

B. Parenchyma

(ii) Mechanical support

C. Collenchyma

(iii) Actively dividing cells

D. Sclerenchyma

(iv) Stomata

Answer:

A. Meristem: It includes a group or cluster of cells that remain in a continuous state of division or retain their power of division.

B. Parenchyma: It performs the function of storage of reserve food materials, storage of water in succulents, Buoyancy, and gaseous exchange in water plants.

C. Collenchyma: It is the main supporting tissue in young dicotyledonous stems. The tissue has the capacity to expand and gives tensile strength to the body.

D. Sclerenchyma: It consists of thick-walled dead cells. It is of two main types: Fibres and Sclereids. Sclereids are short and possess extremely thick lamellated lignified walls with long tubular simple pits.

E. Epidermal tissue: The tissue originates from the outermost layer of the apical meristem. It has an epidermis, cuticle and wax, Stomata, and Trichomes. Singular of stomata is stoma. A typical stoma is microscopic and usually consists of two kidney-shaped guard cells surrounding a pore.

Hence, the correct match is 'A-(iii), B-(i), C-(ii), D-(v), E-(iv)'.

Q2. What is the fate of primary xylem in a dicot root showing extensive secondary growth?

Answer:

Primary xylem is retained in the centre of the axis, while primary phloem is crushed during secondary growth.

Q3. Which cell types always divide by anticlinal cell division?

Answer:

Anticlinal cell division, a type of cell division in which the cells divide perpendicular to the surface, is how protoderm cells proliferate, increasing the plant's surface area. This kind of cell division is different from others, such as periclinal division, which thickens the tissue by dividing cells parallel to the surface.

Q4. A plant tissue, when stained, showed the presence of hemicellulose and pectin in the cell wall of its cells. What does the tissue represent?

Answer:

Collenchyma cells are characterised by the deposition of cellulose, pectin, and hemicellulose in their cell walls, which provides them with flexibility and mechanical support. These cells help in strengthening the growing plant.

Q5. How many shoot apical meristems are likely to be present in a twig of a plant possessing 4 branches and 26 leaves?

Answer:

Five shoot apical meristems are generally present in a twig of a plant having 4 branches and 26 leaves. Four tips are present in the branches, and one in the tip.

Approach to Solve Questions of Class 11 Biology Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants

The student should start by understanding the internal structure of plants, including the tissues, tissue systems, and anatomy of dicot and monocot plants. They should focus on the differences and diagrams, as they are frequently answered in both the boards and the NEET exams. They should revise the function of each tissue type and practice drawing and labelling the diagrams, sneaking. They should use the correct biological terms while answering the questions and keep the explanations clear and concise. They should solve, for example, problems and previous year, neat questions on plant anatomy to help boost confidence.

Chapter-Wise NCERT Class 11 Notes Biology

The chapter wise notes are given below:


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is plant anatomy in Class 11?

 According to NCERT biology Class 11  chapter 6 notes, Plant anatomy is the study of the internal structure of plants, focusing on the arrangement of tissues in roots, stems, and leaves. It includes meristematic tissue for growth and permanent tissue for support and transport. Permanent tissue is divided into simple tissue (parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma) and complex tissue (xylem and phloem). 

2. What are the different types of tissues in plants?

Plants have two types of tissues: meristematic and permanent. Meristematic tissue consists of actively dividing cells found in root and shoot tips, responsible for growth. Permanent tissue forms from meristematic tissue. It is divided into simple and complex tissues. Simple tissue includes parenchyma, which stores food and performs photosynthesis, collenchyma, which provides flexibility and support, and sclerenchyma, which gives strength. Complex tissue includes xylem, which transports water and minerals, and phloem, which transports food.

3. What is the difference between simple and complex permanent tissue?

Simple and complex permanent tissues differ in structure and function. Simple permanent tissue is made up of similar types of cells that perform basic functions like storage, support, and photosynthesis. It includes parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma. In contrast, complex permanent tissue is made up of different types of cells that work together to perform specialized functions like transportation. Xylem and phloem are two types of complex tissue.

4. What are meristematic tissues? Explain their types.

Meristematic tissue consists of actively dividing cells that help in the growth of plants. It is classified into three types based on its location. 

Apical meristem is found at the tips of roots and shoots and helps in increasing the length of the plant. 

Lateral meristem is present along the sides of stems and roots and helps in increasing the thickness or girth.

 Intercalary meristem is located at the base of leaves or internodes and helps in the regrowth of grass and other plants. These tissues are essential for the growth and development of plants.

5. What are the functions of parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma?

Parenchyma performs functions like storage of food, photosynthesis, and gas exchange. It also helps in healing and repairing plant tissues.  

Collenchyma provides flexibility and mechanical support to the plant, allowing it to bend without breaking.  

Sclerenchyma provides strength and rigidity to the plant due to its thick and lignin cell walls, making it tough and durable.

6. What is the role of xylem and phloem in plants?

Xylem transports water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and also provides mechanical support.  

Phloem transports food produced during photosynthesis from the leaves to different parts of the plant, ensuring proper growth and development.

7. What is the difference between dicot and monocot stems?

Dicot and monocot stems differ in structure. Dicot stems have vascular bundles arranged in a ring, with a distinct cortex and pith, and vascular bundles are open, allowing secondary growth. 

Monocot stems  have scattered vascular bundles, lack a distinct cortex and pith, and vascular bundles are closed, preventing secondary growth.

8. What is the function of the epidermis in plants?

The epidermis in plants protects against water loss, prevents the entry of pathogens, and allows gas exchange through stomata. It also helps in reducing transpiration and provides mechanical support.

9. What are the characteristics of vascular bundles in monocots and dicots?

In monocots, vascular bundles are scattered, numerous, and closed (lacking cambium), preventing secondary growth. 

In dicots, vascular bundles are arranged in a ring, fewer in number, and open (with cambium), allowing secondary growth.

10. How do secondary growth and primary growth differ?

Primary growth increases the length of the plant, occurring due to the activity of the apical meristem. 

Secondary growth increases the thickness or girth of the plant, occurring due to the activity of the lateral meristem, such as the vascular cambium.

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0.34\; J

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0.16\; J

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1.00\; J

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0.67\; J

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2.45×10−3 kg

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12.89×10−3 kg

 

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2,000 \; J - 5,000\; J

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20,000 \, \, J - 50,000 \, \, J

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K/2\,

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