Plants: parts and needs · Grade 1
Plants are living things. Most flowering plants have the same main parts: roots, a stem, leaves and flowers. Each part has its own job. To grow well, a plant needs light, water, air, warmth and nutrients from the soil – and room to grow.
Key facts
- Roots hold the plant in the ground and take in water and nutrients from the soil.
- The stem holds the plant up and carries water from the roots to the leaves and flowers. A tree’s strong, woody stem is its trunk.
- Leaves use light from the Sun to make food for the plant.
- Flowers make seeds, which can grow into new plants. Many flowers are bright and sweet-smelling to attract insects.
- A plant needs light, water, air and the right warmth to grow and stay healthy. In the dark it grows pale and weak; without water it wilts (droops).
- Deciduous trees, like oak and beech, lose their leaves in autumn. Evergreen trees, like pine and holly, keep their leaves all year round.
Worked examples
Example 1
Name the four main parts of this plant and say what each one does.
Answer: roots: hold the plant and take in water; stem: holds it up and carries water; leaves: make food; flower: makes seeds
Example 2
Two bean plants get the same amount of water. One is on a sunny windowsill and the other is in a dark cupboard. How will they look after a week?
Answer: the plant on the windowsill is green and healthy; the plant in the cupboard is pale, yellow, thin and weak
Example 3
A white carnation stands in a glass of water with blue food colouring. What happens after a day, and why?
Answer: the petals turn blue, because the stem carries the coloured water up to the flower
Example 4
A sunflower was 12 cm tall. A week later it was 19 cm tall. How much did it grow?
Answer: 7 cm