In a pea flower, five petals are arranged in a specialized manner with one posterior, two lateral and two anterior. These are named as ________. ________ and ________ respectively. (NEET 2023 (Phase 2))
Answer: (B) Standard, Wings and Keel. In the papilionaceous (vexillary) corolla of a pea flower the single posterior petal is the largest and is called the standard (vexillum), the two lateral petals are the wings, and the two anterior petals form the keel (carina).
- A.Keel, Standard and Carina
- B.Standard, Wings and Keel✓
- C.Keel, Wings and Standard
- D.Vexillum, Keel and Standard
Correct Answer
(B) Standard, Wings and Keel
Solution & Explanation
In the papilionaceous (vexillary) corolla of a pea flower the single posterior petal is the largest and is called the standard (vexillum), the two lateral petals are the wings, and the two anterior petals form the keel (carina). Posterior, lateral and anterior therefore correspond to Standard, Wings and Keel — option B. NCERT Reference: Ch 5, p.64, lines 9-12 — "the largest (standard) overlaps the two lateral petals (wings) which in turn overlap the two smallest anterior petals (keel)"