Plants are complex living things, just as we are.
Plant parts
There are many parts to a plant, including:
- Flower: The flower is where bees land on the flower to get their nectar. In exchange, pollen will stick onto their legs, so when they go to the next flower, the pollen will drop off onto the other flower.
- Stem: The stem holds the flower and the other parts of the flower above it off the ground like we have legs to hold us off the ground.
- Roots: The roots gather all the nutrients and water that the plant needs from the soil.
- Leaf: There are many leaves on a flower. Leaves are sometimes covered with a waxy layer, which protects it from the rain. When the rain drops on the leaf, it falls onto the roots which actually want the water.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process plants use to make glucose, using sunlight, minerals and water.
It starts in the leaves of the plant, where sunlight is absorbed. Using the sunlight, the plant makes chlorophyll. The chlorophyll then reacts with carbon dioxide to make glucose (sugar) that the plant uses as food. Oxygen is a by-product of this process.
Germination
Germination is how a plant starts to grow. For a plant to germinate, it needs to have the following:
- Water
- Oxygen
- The right temperature (this is different depending on the plant type)
Most plants germinate from a seed, but there are other germination types, including from:
- Pollen
- Spores