Alltruefloweringplantsconsistofroots,stems, leaves and flowers.
Therootskeep theplantanchoredin the soil andprovideit withnourish-
ment, for theyabsorbwatercontainingimportantmineralsto besuppliedto
thepartsoftheplantgrowingabove theground.
The stemssupportall thepartsof theplantabove soil. Thewaterabsorbed
by therootspassesupwardthroughtubes in the stem sothatit can be used to
feedotherpartsoftheplant.
Aplant'sgreen leaves"breathe"for theplantand they alsomanufacture
its food. Youwilllearnmoreaboutthis on pages 39-40.
Flowersare themostattractiveand, in a way, the mostintriguingpart
ofany plantbecause theyproduce"fruits"which, inturn,containthe seeds
from which newplantsof the same kind grow. Flowers containthe repro-
ductive organsofthe plant; boththe fruit, which providesprotectionand
nourishmentfor the seeds, and, of course, the seeds themselves,originatein
the femalepartof the flower.
Eachseedcontainsa babyplant(known as an"embryo")as well as food
for theembryo. Ifconditionsaresuitable,theembryowill grow into a new
youngplant.