Grow a floral axis
"Grow a floral axis" is a free, interactive Class 11 Biology simulation for NEET, built on the NCERT section "Racemose and cymose inflorescence" in Morphology of Flowering Plants. Grow a floral axis over days: if the apex keeps growing, new flowers appear at the tip (racemose, acropetal); if the apex turns into a flower, new ones open below it (cymose, basipetal) NEET has asked about this idea 1 time in 10 years of papers.
From the lesson Racemose and cymose inflorescence in Morphology of Flowering Plants. Change the values and watch what happens.
What it shows
NCERT §5.4
Grow a floral axis over days: if the apex keeps growing, new flowers appear at the tip (racemose, acropetal); if the apex turns into a flower, new ones open below it (cymose, basipetal)
Controls
3 to try
- Toggleapex becomes a flower / keeps growing
- Sliderdays 0–20
- Readoutflower age colour-coded
Try this
Grow an inflorescence whose oldest flower is at the top, and say which type it is.
Common mistake
Racemose and cymose flower order swapped.
In NEET
10 years of papers
Asked 1 time in 10 years of NEET.
See the past questions: Morphology of Flowering Plants (chapter)
The idea behind it
NCERT §5.4, Figures 5.7–5.8
- A flower is a modified shoot. The shoot apical meristem turns into a floral meristem, the internodes stay short so the axis is condensed, and the apex produces floral appendages at successive nodes in place of leaves.
- When a shoot tip itself becomes a flower, that flower is always solitary.
- Inflorescence: the way flowers are arranged on the floral axis.
- The two major types are defined by one question: does the apex turn into a flower, or does it keep growing?
- Racemose: the main axis goes on growing, and flowers are borne on its sides in acropetal succession, so the oldest flowers are at the base and the youngest near the tip.
- Cymose: the main axis ends in a flower, so its growth is limited, and the flowers open in basipetal order, the oldest at the top.
Questions
4 answers
- What does the "Grow a floral axis" simulation show?
- Grow a floral axis over days: if the apex keeps growing, new flowers appear at the tip (racemose, acropetal); if the apex turns into a flower, new ones open below it (cymose, basipetal)
- What mistake does the "Grow a floral axis" simulation fix?
- A common mistake it clears up: racemose and cymose flower order swapped.
- Has NEET asked about this idea?
- Yes. NEET has asked about this idea 1 time in 10 years of papers.
- Is this simulation free?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on a phone or a laptop. It belongs to the lesson "Racemose and cymose inflorescence" in Morphology of Flowering Plants (Class 11 Biology).
Embed this simulation
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