Rather, a number of lineages, such as the magnoliids and groups now collectively known as the basal angiosperms, diverged earlier than the monocots did; in other words monocots evolved from within the dicots as traditionally defined. ... The eudicots are the largest clade within the dicotyledons.

Did monocots or dicots evolve first?

Paleobotanists, scientists who study the origins of plants, hypothesize that dicotyledons evolved first, and monocots branched off about 140 to 150 million years ago either from the fusion of the cotyledons or as a separate line.

Are monocots older than dicots?

In contrast, the Li–Tanimura method gave estimates consistent with the known evolutionary sequence of seed plant lineages and with known fossil records. ... These estimates indicate that both the monocot–dicot divergence and the core eudicot's age are older than their respective fossil records.