Hello Boys and Girls,

Have you had a hard-working week? Remember that one of the great secrets of success is frequent revision. Please revise. Last week we looked at roots, different types of roots, the various functions of roots and so on. Let’s see how much you remember.

1. List different types of roots.

2. Draw two of them.

3. Label their parts.

4. List the reasons why roots are important to the plant.

You will remember that roots carry out many functions for the plant. Look at the roots in the picture below. Have you eaten any of them before?

Be sure to identify the various storage roots when you eat them.

Storage of food is not really a normal function of roots, so when they do it, they undergo some changes. These roots are often referred to as storage roots. Because of this food- storage function, many types of roots are filled with nutrients, starches and sugars.

We take advantage of this ability to store when we grow and eat them. Can you give any other examples of these storage roots?

Stems

Let’s now look at stems, another important part of plants. Stems do many things. They support the plant. What else do they do? Yes, they act as the plant’s plumbing system, conducting water and nutrients from the roots. They also send food from the leaves to other parts of the plant. Plant stems can be easily bent. Those are herbaceous plants. Some plant stems are hard, not bending easily (woody) stems like the trunk of a tree.

Can you identify any of these stems in any place around you?

○ Most stems are found above ground, but some of them grow under

ground.

○ Stems can be either unbranched or highly branched; they may be

herbaceous or woody.

○ Stems connect the roots to the leaves, helping to transport water,

minerals, and sugars to different parts of the plant.

○ Plant stems always have points of attachments for leaves, roots, and

flowers (nodes) and regions between nodes (internodes).

○ The petiole is the stalk that extends from the stem to the base of the leaf. ○ An auxiliary bud gives rise to a branch or a flower; it is usually found in

the axil: the junction of the stem and petiole.

Draw a stem and label the parts.

Leaves

Let’s now look at the leaves. There are many kinds of leaves. Go into the yard and pick as many leaves as you can. Draw them. Colour them. What colour did you use? Most leaves are green. Do you know why?

Let’s look at these leaves.