All About Plants Printable Book

All Ab o ut Pla nts

? Montessori for Everyone 2018. All rights reserved.

Wha t a re p la nts?

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Pla nts a re living thing s tha t a re ma d e up o f c e lls. The y ne e d a ir, wa te r, so il, a nd sunlig ht to live . The y c a nno t mo ve fro m p la c e to p la c e , b ut the ir le a ve s mo ve to c a tc h the sun a nd the ir ro o ts mo ve to wa rd s wa te r. The ir se e d s c a n b e c a rrie d b y a nima ls o r b lo wn b y the wind .

We g e t fo o d fro m a ll d iffe re nt p a rts o f the p la nt: flo we rs, fruits, ve g e ta b le s, se e d s, nuts, ste ms, a nd le a ve s. G ra ss g ive s us a c o o l, so ft p la c e to wa lk. So me p la nts g ive us me d ic ine , a nd tre e s a re use d to ma ke p a p e r a nd furniture .

In this b o o k, yo u will le a rn a b o ut ho w p la nts a re c la ssifie d (o rg a nize d ), ho w the y live , a nd ho w the y ma ke the ir o wn fo o d . Yo u will d isc o ve r tha t the wo rld use s p la nts in ma ny d iffe re nt wa ys.

O ve r 270,000 sp e c ie s o f p la nts ha ve b e e n id e ntifie d a nd c la ssifie d , b ut sc ie ntists b e lie ve tha t the re a re millio ns mo re wa iting to b e d isc o ve re d .

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Ab o ut the Pla nt King d o m

The Pla nt King d o m is a wa y to c la ssify (o r o rg a nize ) p la nts. The y a re d ivid e d into g ro up s b a se d o n the tra its the y ha ve in c o mmo n. Sc ie ntists c ha ng e the wa y p la nts a re c la ssifie d fro m time to time , whe n the y d isc o ve r ne w typ e s o f p la nts o r le a rn ne w thing s a b o ut p la nts.

The two ma in g ro up s a re va sc ula r p la nts (p la nts tha t use ste ms a nd ve ins to tra nsp o rt fo o d a nd wa te r), a nd no n-va sc ula r p la nts (p la nts with no ro o ts, ste ms, o r le a ve s).

Va sc ula r p la nts c a n d ivid e d into sma lle r g ro up s, o ne o f whic h is se e d p la nts. This g ro up inc lud e s flo we ring a nd no n-flo we ring p la nts. Flo we ring p la nts inc lud e mo no c o ts (o ne se e d le a f) a nd d ic o ts (two se e d le a ve s). The no n-flo we ring p la nts c a n a lso b e d ivid e d into se ve ra l g ro up s, inc lud ing c yc a d s, c o nife rs, a nd g inkg o .

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The Pla nt King d o m

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No n-Va sc ula r Pla nts

Live rwo rts, Ho rnwo rts, a nd Mo sse s

Va sc ula r Pla nts

C lub Mo sse s, Ho rse ta ils, a nd Fe rns

Se e d Pla nts

No n-Flo we ring Pla nts

Flo we ring Pla nts

C o nife rs, C yc a d s, a nd G inkg o

O ne Se e d Two Se e d

Le a f

Le a ve s

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All Ab o ut Flo we ring Pla nts

All g re e n p la nts tha t ha ve flo we rs a re c a lle d flo we ring p la nts. Sc ie ntists ha ve g ro up e d the se a c c o rd ing to the numb e r o f se e d le a ve s fo und in e a c h p la nt.

Mo no c o ts (o r mo no c o tyle d o ns) ha ve o ne se e d le a f; d ic o ts (o r d ic o tyle d o ns) ha ve two se e d s le a ve s. The se le a ve s p ro vid e the fo o d the yo ung p la nt ne e d s until it c a n ma ke its o wn fo o d . Flo we ring p la nts c o nsist o f fo ur ma in p a rts: (1) ro o ts, (2) ste m, (3) le a ve s, a nd (4) flo we rs.

Dic o t (two se e d le a ve s)

Mo no c o t (o ne se e d le a f)

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5

All Ab o ut No n-Flo we ring Pla nts

Pla nts witho ut flo we rs a re c a lle d no n-flo we ring p la nts, o r g ymno sp e rm. While the y d o p ro d uc e se e d s, the se e d is no t e nc lo se d in a flo we r (a nd e ve ntua lly a fruit) the wa y se e d s a re in flo we ring p la nts.

No n-flo we ring p la nts a re ve ry c o mmo n, a nd inc lud e e ve rg re e ns (c o nife rs), c yc a d s, a nd g inkg o . Po p ula r typ e s o f c o nife rs inc lud e fir a nd p ine tre e s. The se tre e s a re c ha ra c te rize d b y sha rp ne e d le s a nd p ro d uc e c o ne s tha t ho ld the se e d s. (Se e p ic ture : p ine c o ne s a nd ne e dle s)

C yc a d s a re tro p ic a l p la nts with c o mp o und le a ve s a nd a sturd y trunk. G inkg o tre e s a re o ne o f the o ld e st kind s o f tre e s kno wn to e xist. The y a re usua lly ve ry ta ll a nd ha ve uniq ue fa n-sha p e d le a ve s.

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All Ab o ut Tre e s

The re a re two d iffe re nt typ e s o f tre e s: no n-flo we ring tre e s tha t ha ve se e d s tha t a re no t e nc lo se d , a nd flo we ring tre e s tha t ha ve se e d s tha t a re e nc lo se d . An e xa mp le o f a no n-flo we ring tre e wo uld b e a n p ine tre e . An e xa mp le o f a flo we ring tre e wo uld b e a fruit tre e , suc h a s p e a c h o r o ra ng e .

Flo we ring tre e s a re d e c id uo us; tha t is, the y she d the ir le a ve s e ve ry ye a r. O the r tre e s a re c o nife rs; the y g ro w ne w le a ve s b e fo re she d d ing o ld o ne s, a nd sta y g re e n a ll ye a r ro und (" e ve rg re e n" ).

Tre e s c o nsist o f ro o ts, trunk (ste m), b ra nc he s, twig s, a nd le a ve s. The ta lle st tre e s in the wo rld a re the re d wo o d s o f C a lifo rnia , whic h c a n g ro w to b e 379 ft (115.55 m) in he ig ht.

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7

All Ab o ut Ro o ts

The ro o ts o f a p la nt ha ve ro o t ha irs tha t a b so rb wa te r a nd mine ra ls fro m the so il. The ro o t c a p s p ro te c t the ro o t whe n it b ump s into ha rd thing s und e r the g ro und .

The ro o ts o f a p la nt a lwa ys g ro w to wa rd s wa te r. The y will e ve n g ro w a ro und ro c ks o r o the r o b sta c le s to re a c h wa te r. The y a lso he lp a nc ho r the p la nt in the g ro und , a nd ke e p so il in p la c e so it is no t wa she d a wa y.

So me o f the fo o d we e a t c o me s fro m ro o ts, like c a rro ts, b e e ts, turnip s, ra d ishe s, a nd p o ta to e s. The se a re ro o ts tha t sto re fo o d fo r the g ro wing p la nt.

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Ra d ishe s--a n e d ib le ro o t.

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All Ab o ut Le a ve s

Le a ve s he lp p la nts ma ke the ir o wn fo o d . Within the le a f is a g re e n ma te ria l c a lle d c hlo ro p hyll. C hlo ro p hyll a b so rb s sunlig ht to ma ke a na tura l sug a r tha t the p la nts use s fo r fo o d .

This p ro c e ss is c a lle d p ho to synthe sis. During p ho to synthe sis, c a rb o n d io xid e is use d b y the p la nt, a nd o xyg e n is re le a se d . This ma ke s tre e s a nd p la nts a g re a t wa y to ke e p the a ir o n e a rth fre sh a nd c le a n.

The le a f ha s ve ins fo r c a rrying this sug a r to o the r p a rts o f the p la nt. The fla t, g re e n p a rt o f the le a f is c a lle d the b la d e . The e d g e o f the le a f is c a lle d the ma rg in. A g o o d nic kna me fo r le a ve s is " sunc a tc he rs" , b e c a use the y c a tc h the sun tha t the p la nt ne e d s to ma ke fo o d .

In the fa ll, le a ve s lo se the ir c hlo ro p hyll. Tha t a llo ws the o the r c o lo rs in the le a f to sho w, so tha t we se e ye llo w, o ra ng e , re d , a nd e ve n p urp le le a ve s.

? Montessori for Everyone 2018. All rights reserved.

All Ab o ut Flo we rs

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Pla nts use flo we rs to re p ro d uc e (ma ke mo re o f the mse lve s). The flo we r' s jo b is to p ro d uc e a fruit, whic h c o nta ins se e d s. Flo we rs a re use d b y huma ns to a d d b e a uty to o utd o o r a nd ind o o r a re a s, a nd so me flo we rs c a n a lso b e e a te n.

Flo we rs, o r b lo sso ms, a re ma d e up o f p e ta ls, c a lle d the c o ro lla , whic h a re usua lly b rig htly c o lo re d . The b rig ht c o lo rs a ttra c t b ird s a nd inse c ts, who sp re a d p o lle n fro m o ne flo we r to a no the r. This fe rtilize s the se e d s a nd a llo ws ne w p la nts to g ro w.

O the r p a rts o f the flo we r inc lud e the c a lyx, the g re e n le a ve s tha t surro und the p e ta ls; the sta me n, whic h p ro d uc e s the p o lle n; a nd the p istil, whic h re c e ive s the p o lle n fro m a no the r flo we r to fe rtilize the p la nt.

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