Zygomorphic vs Actinomorphic Flowers — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2025In symmetry, the flower may be actinomorphic (radial symmetry) or zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry). When a flower can be divided into two equal radial halves in any radial plane passing through the centre, it is said to be actinomorphic, e.g., mustard, datura, chilli. When it can be divided into two similar halves only in one particular vertical plane, it is zygomorphic, e.g., pea, gulmohur, bean, Cassia. A flower is asymmetric (irregular) if it cannot be divided into two similar halves by any vertical plane passing through the centre, as in canna.
NTA focuses on distinguishing zygomorphic flowers (bilateral symmetry, divisible into two similar halves in only ONE vertical plane) from actinomorphic flowers (radial symmetry, divisible in any radial plane). Students commonly confuse these, thinking zygomorphic means multiple planes of symmetry—it doesn't. Remember: pea, bean, and gulmohur are zygomorphic; mustard and datura are actinomorphic. The key trap: zygomorphic = ONE plane only, actinomorphic = many planes. To score correctly, visualize the flower's symmetry and count how many planes divide it into identical halves. This distinction has appeared 5 times since 2016, making it a high-confidence NEET repeat.
This paragraph was tested 5 times in NEET.
Which of the following is an example of a zygomorphic flower?
Which of the following is an example of actinomorphic flower?
Match the following flower types with correct examples: (A) Zygomorphic — (B) Hypogynous — (C) Perigynous — (D) Epigynous — (I) Mustard (II) Plum (III) Cassia (IV) Cucumber Select the correct option: [NEET 2023 ]
The flowers are zygomorphic in: a) Mustard b) Gulmohar c) Cassia d) Datura e) Chilly Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Radial symmetry is found in the flowers of:
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