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Biology · Glossary

What is Parts of a plant?

Also known as: root · stem · leaf · flower

Definition 3.4 Primary & Middle School Biology · Chapter 3 — Plants Around Us

A flowering plant has four main parts:

  1. the roots, hidden in the soil, which hold the plant in place and drink water;
  2. the stem, which stands the plant up and carries water to the leaves;
  3. the leaves, flat and green, which catch the light;
  4. the flower, which will make the seeds.
The four parts of a flowering plant, shown pulled up whole: in the ground, the roots do their work out of sight, under the soil.
The four parts of a flowering plant, shown pulled up whole: in the ground, the roots do their work out of sight, under the soil.

Examples

Example 3.5 (Pulling up a weed)

Pull a weed gently out of loose, wet earth and you bring up the hidden part: a tuft of pale roots, sometimes longer than the whole green plant above. Now the plant can be read from bottom to top: roots, stem, leaves — and, if you are lucky, a flower.

Example 3.7 (The chestnut tree)

The chestnut tree in the yard has the same plan as the daisy, but bigger and harder: roots under the ground, a trunk instead of a soft stem, branches with thousands of leaves, and in spring, flowers. The daisy lives one year; the chestnut can live longer than a hundred.

Example 3.9 (The forgotten plant)

Forget to water the classroom plant before the holidays: its leaves hang down, soft and sad — it wilts. Water it, and a few hours later the leaves stand up again. Water was the missing need.

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