Students play a game to learn the different parts of different types of common food plants.
What humans eat as different fruit and vegetables are actually parts of plants:
- Roots hold the plant in the ground, especially when it’s windy. They also soak up water and nutrients for the plant. Examples: carrots, turnips, radishes.
- Bulbs are underground stems that store lots of food in their leaves. Examples: leek, onions, garlic.
- Tubers are underground stems that are swollen with stored nutrients. Examples: potatoes, sweet potatoes.
- Leaves catch the sunlight and make food for the plant. Leaves also let water and gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the plant. Examples: lettuce, cabbage, spinach.
- Fruits are made by the flower parts and have seeds inside them. Examples: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, oranges, apples, grapes, string beans.
- Seeds store food inside for the plant embryo and grow into mature plants. Examples: sunflower seeds, coconuts (one of the world’s biggest seeds), sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coffee beans, lima beans.
- Stems help plants stand up and move food and water to all of the other parts. Example: asparagus.
- Petioles are special stems that hold the leaves. Examples: celery, rhubarb.