Question

Peripheral Vascular Bundles are generally smaller than the centrally located in the following plant stem

• A. Hibiscus
• B. Cucurbita
• C. Solanum
• D. Maize

Hint:

The "scattered vascular bundle" arrangement with smaller peripheral bundles is a classic anatomical identifier of monocot stems.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Recall how vascular bundles are arranged in dicot versus monocot stems.
Hibiscus, Cucurbita and Solanum are dicots, their vascular bundles sit in a single neat ring near the periphery with pith occupying the centre, so there is no size gradient of the kind the question describes.
Step 2: Look at the monocot pattern instead.
Maize is a monocot with an atactostele, meaning its vascular bundles are scattered irregularly through the ground tissue rather than arranged in a ring.
Step 3: Note the size gradient specific to Maize.
In this scattered arrangement, the bundles crowded near the outer edge are noticeably smaller and packed closer together, while the bundles nearer the centre are larger and more spread out, exactly the pattern the question is asking about.
Final answer: Option 4, Maize is the stem where peripheral vascular bundles are smaller than the centrally located ones.