PLANTS UNIT 1 - OVERVIEW

The SCOOBY DOO & THE GANG need your help to solve the Mystery of plant life! To solve this case, you must identify the different parts of plants, what each part does, and how plants grow. Good luck!

Start with the Case Brief.

Here are your goals and key ideas to learn in Case #1!

When you finish this case, you should be able to:

• List the important things needed for plant growth.
• Help in the growth of a living organism.
• Demonstrate knowledge and use of words related to seeds and plants.
• Read to find answers to questions.
• Describe and record observations.
• Listen for answers and new information.
• Describe how plants grow and what they need to grow.)

While you're solving the mysteries, pay special attention to these key ideas:

• Plants are made up of different parts. Each part has a certain job. These parts can also help us to identify plants.
• You can eat certain plant parts. They are important food sources for both humans and other animals.
• There are seven basic requirements that plants need in order to grow properly: temperature, light, water, air, nutrients, time, and room to grow.

Plants can be grown both indoors and outdoors for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, energy, and pleasure.

Plant Structure

Herbaceous plant	Woody Plant

Plants can be either herbaceous or woody. 

• Most herbaceous plants have stems that are soft, green, and contain little woody tissue. These plants are ones that die to the ground each year. Most annual and perennial flowers fall into this category along with vegetables and houseplants.

Life Cycle

A plant's life cycle describes how long a plant lives or how long it takes to grow, flower, and set seed. Plants can be either an annual, perennial, or biennial.

Annual

A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season. It will grow, flower, set seed, and die.

Examples: Marigolds, tomatoes, and petunias.

Perennial

A plant that lives for 3 or more years. It can grow, flower, and set seed for many years. Underground parts may regrow new stems as in the case of herbaceous plants, or the stems may live for many years like woody plants (trees).

Examples: Daisies, chrysanthemums, and roses.

Biennial

A plant that needs two growing seasons to complete its life cycle. It grows vegetatively (produces leaves) one season. Then it goes dormant or rests over the winter. In the spring, it will begin to grow again and grow flowers, set seed, and die. The seed that is left behind on the ground germinates and the cycle begins again.

Examples: Parsley, carrots, and foxglove.

watch video = PARTS OF PLANTS

PARTS OF A PLANT

Plant Parts - Roots
Basic parts of most all plants are:

• roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds.

• The roots help provide support by anchoring the plant and absorbing water and nutrients needed for growth. They can also store sugars and carbohydrates that the plant uses to carry out other functions. 
• Plants can have either 
• a taproot system (such as carrots)  
• fibrous root system (such as turf grass). 
• In both cases, the roots are what carries the water and nutrients needed for plants to grow.

Plant Parts - Stems

Stems carry water and nutrients taken up by the roots to the leaves. 

the food produced by the leaves moves to other parts of the plant. 

The cells that do this work are called the xylem cells. They move water. The phloem cells move the food. Stems also provide support for the plant allowing the leaves to reach the sunlight that they need to produce food. Where the leaves join the stem is called the node. The space between the leaves and the stem is called the internode. You'll find out why this is so important as the mystery develops.

Plant Parts - Leaves

Leaves are the food making factories of green plants. Leaves come in many different shapes and sizes. Leaves can be simple. They are made of a single leaf blade connected by a petiole to the stem. An oak leaf or a maple leaf are examples. A compound leaf is a leaf made up of separate leaflets attached by a petiole to the stem like an ash or a locust.

Leaves are made to catch light and have openings to allow water and air to come and go. 

• The outer surface of the leaf has a waxy coating called a cuticle which protects the leaf. 
• Veins carry water and nutrients within the leaf.

Leaves are the site of the food making process called photosynthesis. 

• In this process, carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll (the green pigment) and light energy are changed into glucose (a sugar). This energy rich sugar is the source of food used by most plants.
• Photosynthesis is unique to green plants! 
• Photosynthesis supplies food for the plant and oxygen for other forms of life.
• A green plant helped make the oxygen you are breathing today.

watch the video - Photosynthesis

PHOTOSYNTHESIS INTRODUCTION

Plant Parts - Flowers

Flowers not only look pretty but, in fact, are important in making seeds. 

Flowers have some basic parts.

The female part is the pistil. 

• The pistil usually is located in the center of the flower and is made up of three parts: 
• the stigma, style, and ovary. 
• The stigma is the sticky knob at the top of the pistil. It is attached to the long, tubelike structure called the style. 
• The style leads to the ovary that contains the female egg cells called ovules.

The male parts are called stamens and usually surround the pistil. The stamen is made up of two parts: the anther and filament. The anther produces pollen (male reproductive cells). The filament holds the anther up.

During the process of fertilization, pollen lands on the stigma, a tube grows down the style and enters the ovary. Male reproductive cells travel down the tube and join with the ovule, fertilizing it. The fertilized ovule becomes the seed, and the ovary becomes the fruit.

Petals are also important parts of the flower, because they help attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and bats. You can also see tiny green leaf-like parts called sepals at the base of the flower. They help to protect the developing bud.

Plant Parts - Fruit

The fruit is the ripened ovary of a plant containing the seeds. After fertilization, the ovary swells and becomes either fleshy or hard and dry to protect the developing seeds. Many fruits help seeds spread (maple seeds). Many things we call vegetables are really fruits such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans.

Every seed is a tiny plant (embryo) with leaves, stems, and root parts waiting for the right things to happen to make it germinate and grow. Seeds are protected by a coat. This coat can be thin or thick and hard. Thin coats don't protect the embryo well. But thick coats can let the embryo survive some tough conditions.

The seed also contains a short-term food supply called the endosperm which is formed at fertilization but is not part of the embryo. It is used by the embryo to help its growth.

In the bean that is shown, the endosperm is no longer there. It has been used for the growth of the embryo, and most of its nutrients and energy are now in a different form within the tissues of the cotyledon.

• Plants with one cotyledon (like corn) are called monocots. 

• If they have two cotyledons (like beans), they are called dicots.

Seeds are a plant's way of getting from one area to another by either wind, water or animals.

PLANTS - VIDEOh

Growing Plants Indoors All plants need these seven things to grow: room to grow, the right temperature, light, water, air, nutrients, and time. Room to grow. All plants like to have room to grow. The above ground portions of the plant need space so leaves can expand and carry out the job of making food. Roots also need room to grow. Plants growing in small spaces will have their roots crowded, and that results in smaller amounts of growth. Temperature Most plants like temperatures that most humans like. Some may like warmer temperatures while others may prefer cooler temperatures for best growth. It is always good to know where plants come from so you can make them feel at home. Most plants like to have cooler temperatures at night and don't like to be in a drafty spot. Light Plants grown indoors like bright light. Windows facing the south or west have the best light. Try to place the plants close to the window to take advantage of all the light. The further away from the window, the darker it becomes. A plant will tell you when it isn't getting enough light, because its stems will be thin and it will lean toward the light. If you don't have a bright window, try using grow lights. Remember to have the light about six inches above the plants and leave it on for 14-16 hours each day. Growing Plants Indoors Water Water is important in the plant's ability to make and move nutrients. Without water or with too much water, a plant dies. For this reason, watering is an important part of plant care. Most plants like to be watered when the soil is slightly dry to the touch. When watering, moisten the soil by using enough water so that it starts to come out of the hole in the bottom of the container. (This is why it is important to use containers with drainage holes.) How often you water depends on a lot of things. Plant size, time of the year, and type of plant are a few. Your best guide, though, is to feel the soil. If you stick your finger one inch into the soil and it is dry, then water your plant. Air Plants use carbon dioxide in the air and return oxygen. Smoke, gases, and other air pollutants can damage plants. Nutrients Most of the nutrients that a plant needs are dissolved in water and then taken up by the plant through its roots. Fertilizers will help to keep the soil supplied with nutrients a plant needs. Don't apply too much too often. Fertilizer won't solve all of your plant problems, so make sure your plants have good light, good soil, and good drainage. The three most important nutrients arenitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Nitrogen is used for above ground growth. This is what gives plants a dark green color. Phosphorous helps plant cell division. It aids in flower and seed production and in the development of a strong root system. Potassium helps fight off disease and provides for strong stems. Time It takes time to grow and care for plants. Some plants require more time to grow than others. Getting plants to flower or fruit at a certain time can be challenging. Plants that normally grow outdoors need a certain number of days to flower or fruit. You can time plants to flower or fruit on a certain date. This is a good lesson in both plant science and math.

HOW PLANTS WORK  (CLICK ON THIS)

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PLANT PARTS.  Write the question & answer in your notes.  Pick the best answer.  Carries water and food through the plant.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed  Carries and protects the seed.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed  Allows the plant to reproduce.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed  Helps the plant to produce seeds.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed  Made of the blade and the petiole.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed  Take up nutrients and water.  Stem  Leaves  Roots  Flower  Fruit  Seed What Are the Parts of Plants?  Write the number & name the part of the plant.  Add drawing and names in you notes. Is part  a stem, leaves, roots, a flower, a fruit, or a seed?

VOCABABULARY TERMS & DEFINITIONS

Make sure to have your Vocab Terms & Definitions completed by: Friday, OCTOBER 11.

VOCAB QUIZ & BASIC PLANT INFORMATION- TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

What Are the Parts of Plants?

What Are the Parts of Plants?

1.)  The stem carries water and food through the plant. A stem can be short or long.

2.)  the fruit of a plant carries and protects the seed. In this papaya (right), the part of the fruit we eat protects the seeds.

3.)  the seed of a plant allows the plant to reproduce.

4.)  the flower of a plant helps the plant to produce seeds. Its fragrance and color attract insects that pollinate the plant so it can reproduce.

5.)  the leaves of a plant are made of the blade and the petiole. The blade is usually the largest part of the leaf. The petiole is a stalk that supports the leaf blade.

6.)  the roots, which grow from the lower part of the plant, take up nutrients and water from the soil.

What Are the Parts of Plants?