The parts of a plant
Biology · Key Stage 1 · The School
Five parts, five jobs
ROOTS hold the plant still and drink up water. The STEM carries that water upwards and holds the plant up to the light. LEAVES catch sunlight and make the plant's food. The FLOWER makes seeds. The SEED grows into a new plant. Pull up a weed carefully and you can see every one of them at once.
Why leaves are flat and wide
A leaf is shaped for catching light, the way a solar panel is. Hold one up and you can see the tiny veins that carry water in and food out. Trees in shady places often have bigger leaves than trees in bright places, because they have less light to catch and need more surface to catch it with.
Naming what you find
Learning names is real science, not just labelling. Daisy, dandelion, buttercup and daffodil are four you can find in most of Britain. Look for how many petals each has, whether the leaves are round or spiky, and whether it grows in grass or a bed. Those are the features botanists use too.
You are shown a carrot, a stick of celery, a lettuce leaf and a broccoli head. Which part of a plant is each? Carrot: it grew underground and stores food — a ROOT. Celery: long tubes carrying water up — a STEM. Lettuce: flat, thin, catches light — a LEAF. Broccoli: tight buds that would open into yellow flowers if left — a FLOWER. Your dinner plate is a plant, taken apart.