Parts of Plants

 Plants are one of the most essential living organisms on earth. They are immensely beneficial to both animals and human beings. They produce oxygen which is crucial for the survival of living organisms. Trees provide shelter to animals and are also known for their medicinal benefits. Overall, different parts of plants have different roles to perform. They act as a source of food and oxygen and maintain the ecological balance.

A plant has many parts. Different parts perform different
functionalities. The part of the plant that appears above the ground level is called the shoot system while the part of the plant which lies underneath the soil is called the root system.

Leaves

Leaves are the mostly flat green parts of plants.

The flat part of a leaf is called the lamina (also known as the leaf blade). The part of the leaf which attaches to the stem is called the petiole (also called a leaf stalk). Most, but not all, leaves have these parts.

Leaves are typically large and flat so that they can expose as many of their chloroplasts to sunlight as possible.The role of a leaf is to:

• provide a place for photosynthesis to occur; and
• be involved in transpiration of water.

Stems

The stem is a structure which forms the core of the shoot system. The stem is divided into two parts; nodes and internodes. Nodes are where buds grow into leaves, stems, or flowers and internodes are the parts of the stem in between the nodes (see Figure 8). In most plants, stems are found above the ground, but for some plants, such as potatoes, stems are also found below the ground. The part of the potato plant we eat, called a tuber, is actually a specialized underground stem which stores nutrients for the plant.

The role of the stem is to:

• provide support for the plant
• provide a place for leaves, flowers and fruit to grow;
• keep leaves facing towards sunlight;
• transport water and nutrients up from the roots and transport the products of photosynthesis down from the leaves; and
• store nutrients

Roots

The root system is the system of structures typically, but not always, found below the ground.

The role of roots is to:

• anchor the plant to the ground;
• take up water and minerals needed for growth and development;
• store food and nutrients; and
• provide a means of reproduction called vegetative (asexual) reproduction.