What are Plants?

Plants are another kingdom of life. Plants need soil, water, energy, shelter, nutrients, sunlight, and air.

How are Plants Classified?

Here is a diagram of how plants are classified.

• Vascular
  • Vascular plants have vessels.
    • These vessels carry water and nutrients through the plant
    • Different vessels also carry food
    • They can be classified further
      • Seedless
        • Seedless plants produce pores
      • Seedbearing
        • Seedbearing plants have seeds
        • They can be classified further
          • Gymnosperms
            • Gymnosperms are flowers
          • Angiosperms
            • Angiosperms have no flowers
• Nonvascular
  • Nonvascular plants have no vessels and are usually smaller than Vascular plants

 

What are Roots?

Roots are a part of the plant that keeps the plant in the ground. Roots collect water and nutrients from the ground for the plant.

There are two types of roots

• Tap Roots
  • A tap root is one specific root
  • An example is a carrot
• Fibrous Roots
  • Fibrous roots are thin and cover a large area

 

What are Stems?

Stems hold the plant up.

There are two types of stems

• Woody Stem
  • Woody stems are strong and thick
  • It has no chloroplast, so the stem is not green
  • Trees usually have woody stems
• Soft Stem
  • Soft stems are soft and bendy
  • It has chloroplast, so the stem is green
  • Small plants usually have soft stems

 

What are Xylem?

Xylem are tubes in vascular plants that move up and down the stem carrying water. It only goes in one direction: from the roots to the top of the plant.

What are Phloem?

Phloem are tubes in vascular plants that move sugars up and down the stem. It moves in both directions.

 

What is Photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is a plants process of making food. The leaves of the plant take in sunlight, water and carbon dioxide and turn it into sugars for the plant. Oxygen also forms and is released into the air by the plant.