Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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412

plants

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Flowers and herbs

Fruits and seeds

Microscopic life

Mosses,

liverworts, and ferns

Soil

Trees

MiSTleToe

This plant

“steals” its food

and energy by

growing and

feeding on trees.

it grows high up

in the branches, and its

roots grow into the bark and

absorb the tree’s nutrients.

Food FroM planTS

We grow plants for food on farms and in gardens,

too. Food plants include cereals such as rice, fruit

such as oranges, and vegetables such as carrots.

Spices such as cinnamon are parts of plants and

are used for flavoring. Some plant parts cannot be

eaten because they are bitter, sour, or poisonous.

potatoes are an important food crop, but we eat

only the tuber that grows underground. The

fruit and leaves of the potato plant,

which grow above ground,

are poisonous.

When a small creature

touches sensitive hairs

on the leaves of the

Venus’s-flytrap, the leaves

snap shut with one of the

fastest movements in the

plant world.

ChoColaTe

inside every large fruit, or pod, of

the tropical cacao tree are about

40 cacao beans. These beans are

roasted, shelled, then ground into

a paste. The cacao paste is mixed

with sugar at a high temperature

to make chocolate.

Ferns grow in all parts

of the world. Some

are as large as trees;

others are tiny and

look like moss.

Fruit trees provide

many kinds of fruit,

including apples,

lemons, and

bananas. All are

rich in vitamins.

True flowering

plants include roses,

tulips, and other

garden plants.

Main groups of plants

The plant kingdom is made up of

many different groups. These groups are

divided into flowering and non-flowering

plants, as shown here.

Club mosses are

among the first

plants to develop

with true stems.

CarnivorouS planTS

Some plants obtain extra food from animals.

one plant, commonly called the venus’s-flytrap,

usually grows in swamps, where the soil is poor.

Flesh-eating or carnivorous plants trap and

digest insects and other small creatures.

The flytrap shuts in one-

fiftieth of a second, when

trigger hairs at the base

of each leaf are moved.

WeedS

a weed is simply a plant

growing where it is

troublesome to humans. Most

weeds grow fast, come into

flower quickly, then spread

their seeds. Some weeds, such

as the convolvulus shown

above, have pale, delicate

flowers; others are colorful,

such as the dandelions and

buttercups that grow on lawns.

Microscopic plants are

so small that we can

see them only through

a microscope.

Liverworts

are small

non-flowering

plants related

to mosses.

Grasses

include

lawn grass

and cereals

such as wheat,

rice, barley,

and corn.

Vegetables are edible flowering

plants that are rich in vitamins

and minerals. They include

carrots, potatoes,

spinach, tomatoes,

and beans.

Weeds are unwanted

flowering plants that

include dandelions,

nettles, and

buttercups.

Lichen is now classified

as a fungi. It has no true

leaves, stems, or roots.

The biggeST FloWer

The giant rafflesia is a parasitic plant. it has no

leaves and draws its food from the liana creepers

it lives on. it has the world’s largest flower,

at 3 ft (1 m) across. because of its smell,

it is also called the

stinking giant.

Horsetails were

among the

earliest plants

on Earth.

Coniferous trees

include fir trees and

pine trees. They

are also called

evergreen trees.

Bushes are woody

plants that are

smaller than trees.

They usually have

one main stem.

Shrubs are

woody plants

with more

than one

main branch

growing from

the ground.

Deciduous trees

are also called

broadleaved

trees.They lose

their leaves

each fall.

Moss grows on logs

and walls and in moist,

shady woodland areas.

Seaweed is an alga

that grows in sea

water and attaches

itself to rocks.

Herbs have

scented leaves.

They include basil

and oregano.

Venus’s-flytrap flower

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