Plants and Their Needs

Parts of a Plant#

Plants are amazing living things! They can make their own food using sunlight. They come in all shapes and sizes — from tiny grass blades to towering oak trees. But most plants share the same basic parts.

Let's learn about the main parts of a plant and what each part dös.

Roots#

Roots grow underground. They have two important jobs:

1. Anchor the plant in the soil so it dösn't fall over or blow away.
2. Absorb water and minerals from the soil. These travel up into the rest of the plant.

Roots can be thick and deep (like a tree's roots) or thin and fibrous (like grass roots). Some plants have special roots we can eat — carrots, radishes, and beets are roots!

Stem#

The stem is like the plant's highway. It connects the roots to the leaves and flowers. The stem:

• Holds the plant up straight
• Carries water and nutrients from the roots up to the leaves
• Carries sugar made in the leaves down to the rest of the plant

Tree trunks, rose stalks, and the stalk of a sunflower are all stems.

Leaves#

Leaves are the plant's food factory! They are usually flat and green. Inside leaves is a green substance called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll captures energy from sunlight.

Leaves use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (a gas in the air) to make sugar — the plant's food. This process is called photosynthesis (say: fo-to-SIN-thuh-sis).

Leaves also have tiny holes called stomata that let gases in and out.

Flowers#

Flowers are the reproductive parts of many plants. They attract bees, butterflies, and birds with their bright colors and sweet smell. When pollinators visit flowers, they carry pollen from one flower to another. This starts the process of making seeds.

Seeds and Fruit#

After a flower is pollinated, it produces seeds inside a fruit (like an apple or a bean pod). Seeds carry the instructions to grow a new plant!