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Be sure to click on each of the plant parts to learn more information.

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Learn interesting facts about parts plants. Find out more about the functions of plant parts and improve your knowledge with DK Find Out, to help you learn

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You may want to take some notes while watching this video.

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turtle diary plant life cycle - Bing video

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Sea Turtle Life Cycle Loggerhead Turtle Life Cycle Green Sea Turtle Life Cycle Sea Turtle Life Cycle YouTube Life Cycle of a Turtle for Kids Whale Life Cycle Butterfly Life Cycle Frog Life Cycle YouTube Turtle Life Cycle Lizard Life Cycle Kittens Life Cycle Life Cycle of Shark Life Cycle

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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Plant Parts

Helpful terms

Herbaceous:
Plants with stems that are usually soft and bendable. Herbaceous stems die back to the ground every year.

Woody:
Plants with stems, such as tree trunks, that are hard and do not bend easily. Woody stems usually don't die back to the ground each year.

Photosynthesis:
A process by which a plant produces its food using energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water and nutrients from the soil.

Pollination:
The movement of pollen from one plant to another. Pollination is necessary for seeds to form in flowering plants.
What's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
A fruit is what a flower becomes after it is pollinated. The seeds for the plant are inside the fruit.
Vegetables are other plant parts. Carrots are roots. Asparagus stalks are stems. Lettuce is leaves.

Foods we often call vegetables when cooking are really fruits because they contain seeds inside.
Play a Plant Parts Game!

What Do Different Plant Parts Do?

Plant parts do different things for the plant.

Roots

Roots act like straws absorbing water and minerals from the soil. Tiny root hairs stick out of the root, helping in the absorption. Roots help to anchor the plant in the soil so it does not fall over. Roots also store extra food for future use.

Stems

Stems do many things. They support the plant. They act like the plant's plumbing system, conducting water and nutrients from the roots and food in the form of glucose from the leaves to other plant parts. Stems can be herbaceous like the bendable stem of a daisy or woody like the trunk of an oak tree.

Leaves

Most plants' food is made in their leaves. Leaves are designed to capture sunlight which the plant uses to make food through a process called photosynthesis.

Flowers

Flowers are the reproductive part of most plants. Flowers contain pollen and tiny eggs called ovules. After pollination of the flower and fertilization of the ovule, the ovule develops into a fruit.

Fruit

Fruit provides a covering for seeds. Fruit can be fleshy like an apple or hard like a nut.

Seeds

Seeds contain new plants. Seeds form in fruit.

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Helpful terms Herbaceous: Plants with stems that are usually soft and bendable. Herbaceous stems die back to the ground every year. Woody: Plants with stems, such as tree trunks, that are hard and do not bend easily. Woody stems usually don't die back to the ground each year.

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When we look at a pretty flower sitting on top of a thin, green stem, we don't usually think of them as being strong or tough, do we? No, we think of them as fragile and pretty and we are careful not to tear its leaves or petals. We should treat plants with care and respect. But guess what? Many plants are actually tougher than they look when it comes to protecting themselves against animals.

Roses, blackberries, thistles, black locusts trees and barberry shrubs are just a few of the many plants that have thorns to protect them from being eaten or damaged by animals.

We all know how pretty roses are and how good they smell, but roses are not very good at keeping themselves well if they get too wet, too cold or if animals try to rub on their branches or eat their flowers. By using their thorns to scare off animals from eating them, roses are able to grow bigger and prettier every year.

Have you ever been poked by a cactus? It's not very fun, is it? Cactus plants are covered with spines that poke you when you come too close. Some are so tiny it is hard to see them when they get stuck in your skin. Others are big and sharp-almost like a needle. No matter what they look like, though, the 'pokies' on a cactus hurt. But they also keep it alive.

Cactus plants grow in the hot, dry desert. The animals living in the desert would like to drink the water and juices cactuses are filled with. But cactuses don't want to be ripped apart by hot, thirsty animals, so they use their spines to scare them off.

Some plants have thick, hairy fibers covering their leaves. The hair is so thick that bugs cannot get through it to eat the plant's leaves. The hairs also help the leaves of the plant hold and store water so they can survive in hot, dry places. The Panda Plant and Lamb's Ear are two plants that protect themselves like this with their hairy leaves.

Juicy stuff

A large number of plants have liquid (juicy stuff) in their leaves and stems that protect them from animals and insects. Some plants use their juicy stuff to poison animals and bugs that try to eat them. Other plants use it to cover themselves when 'attacked'. And still other plants, like poison ivy, release oil when touched or harmed that make people and some animals break out in an itchy rash.

Poison ivy is only one kind of plant that uses liquid to protect itself. Some of the other plants that do this are:

Who likes tomatoes? They taste pretty good, don't they? But have you ever tasted a leaf from a tomato plant? YUK! Don't do it. Tomato plants are just one of the many plants that are safe from being eaten by animals because they taste so bad.

Bugs are tougher than plants

Bugs aren't afraid of thorns and spines or yucky-tasting leaves and juicy stuff. In fact, they like it! Bugs can eat leaves off plants and trees quickly and can hurt or even kill them in a very short amount of time. That is why it is so important for people to do what they can to protect the plants and trees they grow and that are growing in their yards. That means you, too! Here's how you can help:

Keep your plants healthy and well fed. By keeping your plants watered, giving them the sunshine they need, and by keeping the soil fertilized you will give them a better chance to fight off bugs.

Watch your plants. Check your plants for bugs. If you find them, pick them off and kill them.

Keep your plants 'clean'. Spraying plants with soapy water or other bug-killers will help keep bugs away.

Invite 'good bugs'. Lady bugs are the most common 'good bug'. Lady bugs don't eat plants...they eat other bugs, so by releasing lady bugs into your garden, you will be feeding the ladybugs and saving your plants.

Check your plants

Check the plants and trees in your yard. Look for bugs, brown or yellow spots on the leaves, curled leaves and stems or bark that looks like it has been chewed. Look for bugs hiding under leaves and in the bark of trees. Ask your parents to help you get rid of the bugs that are eating your plants.

Read more about Plant Facts for Kids

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When we look at a pretty flower sitting on top of a thin, green stem, we don't usually think of them as being strong or tough, do we? No, we think of them as fragile and pretty and we are careful not to tear its leaves or petals.