* One cotyledon in the seed. (This is where the name "monocot" comes from – "mono" meaning one.)

* Parallel leaf veins.

* Floral parts in multiples of three.

* Fibrous root system.

* Vascular bundles scattered throughout the stem.

These characteristics distinguish monocots from dicots, which have two cotyledons, net-like leaf veins, floral parts in multiples of four or five, a taproot system, and vascular bundles arranged in a ring within the stem.