What Are a Plant's Parts?

Learning Objectives | National Science Education Standards
Background Information | Pre-Visit Activities
Inquiry Activities at the Garden | Suggested Galleries
Post-Visit Activities | Resources

Learning Objectives

• Plants grow in a variety of shapes and sizes.
• Each main part (root, stem, leaf, and flower) has a special function.
• Plant parts vary in shape, size, and color.
• This diversity is linked to adaptations to specific conditions and habitats.

National Science Education Standards

• Understand the diversity and adaptations of organisms.
• Understand the characteristics of organisms.
• Understand the process of scientific inquiry.

Background Information

Most plants have a similar structure: They are composed of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Each part serves a critical function for the plant:

• Roots absorb and store water and minerals, and anchor the plant in place.
• Stems move water and minerals up from the roots, and sugars (plant food) down from the leaves. Stems also support the plant above ground, and, like roots, can store water and food.
• Leaves are the plant’s food factories, where light is combined with water and carbon dioxide to make sugar.
• Flowers help make new plants by producing pollen to fertilize other flowers. Flowers grow into seeds, which are contained inside a fruit. The seeds can grow into new plants.

Not all plants have all these parts, and sometimes the parts grow in unusual ways. But despite differences in appearance, the same parts on different plants always serve the same functions, described above.

• Roots can grow in many shapes and sizes. They can grow as a thick underground taproot; as a network of fine hairlike fibers, above ground or floating on the water; and even in the air, hanging down from a tree or clinging to a wall or tree trunk.
• Stems can be tall or short, stiff and woody with thick bark, or soft and flexible. Some stems, such as those of the iris, grow underground, while others, like clover, grow along the ground.
• Leaves can be pointed like a pine needle, star-shaped like the sweet gum, or round like a lily pad. In texture they range from fuzzy to silky smooth. Leaf size can vary from bigger than a building to the tiny floating duckweed. Leaves come in a rainbow of colors: pink coleus; purple palm fronds; yellow-striped snake plants; and the green leaves of oaks, maples, and sweet gum that turn golden yellow and fiery red in the fall.
• Flowers that are colorful and fragrant, like roses, are quite different from the small, odorless flowers that go unnoticed on grasses and trees. Some flowers bloom in clusters called an inflorescence. Some, such as fox glove, look like many flowers, while others, such as daisies, look like a single flower.

Plant differences are often a function of adaptations that help plants survive under certain conditions.

• Roots that are deep help the plant access underground water; roots that are shallow absorb nutrients and moisture near the surface.
• Stems that are stiff support a large, heavy crown, while thin stems bend rather than snap in high winds, or under foot.
• Leaves that are waxy hold in moisture. Leaves that are broad soak up lots of sun. Hairs provide shade and collect moisture from morning dew, and spines protect the plant from hungry predators.
• Flowers that are big, showy, and fragrant attract animal pollinators; small, odorless flowers depend on wind to transport pollen.

Pre-Visit Activities

• List the parts of a plant.
• Draw a diagram of a plant, including all the parts, then label and describe the function of each.

Inquiry Activities at the Garden

• Gently feel the parts of different plants to compare their textures. Notice the differences, as well as similarities in color, size, and shape.
• Smell and compare the fragrance of different flowers and leaves. Describe the smell, or compare it to something familiar, such as perfume, powder, or a holiday wreath.
• Search for and draw each plant part. Guess what job each part plays in helping the plant survive.
• Find several examples of the same plant part that look very different. Use a hand lens to better observe details such as leaf hairs.
• Guess why plants show so much diversity.
• Through observation, try to predict how certain plant parts will feel. Confirm hypotheses using a gentle touch. Report findings using descriptive words.
• Record how many different kinds of flowers, stems, leaves, and roots can be found.
• Create a unique plant by drawing a favorite leaf growing from a favorite stem, or any other combination.
• Invent made-up plant parts to combine in new ways. Describe the function of each invented part.

Suggested Galleries

• The Hecksher Foundation for Children’s Wonder Gallery
• Arthur Hays and Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger Meadow Gallery
• The Vincent Astor Foundation Sun, Dirt and Water Gallery
• Meadow Maze

Post-Visit Activities

• Name and label the invented plant using words that describe how it looks, smells, or feels.
• Write a story about the plant describing where it lives and how it survives.
• Describe the plant to the class, using correct terminology for the parts.
• Sort and display the plants by their different characteristics. Discuss how they a reorganized.

Resources

• Gibbons, Gail. 1991. From Seed to Plant. New York: Holiday House.
• Schwartz, David M. 1998. Plants Stems & Roots: Look Once, Look Again.
  Cypress, Calif.: Creative Teaching Press.