Grouping Plants by Flowers

Flowering VS Non-flowering plants

Flowering Plants

• Reproduce by seeds in the flowers
• Can be further divided into monocotyledons (one seed-leaf, e.g. maize plants) or dicotyledons (two seed-leaves, e.g. sunflowers, roses) 

Maize plant (monocots)

Rose and Sunflower (Dicots)

Non-Flowering Plants

Pine tree (gymnosperms)

• Do not have flowers or fruits 
• Reproduce by spores (e.g. mosses, allies & ferns) or cones (e.g. gymnosperms such as pine trees)

Mosses, Allies and Ferns

Refer to Worksheet 2 for reinforcement exercises.

Common Features of Plants

There are 4 basic common, external features which constitute a plant.Each feature has their very own unique functions that are essential for growth of a plant.


1. Flowers
    ~attract animals such as bees and butterflies 
      to help in pollination of seeds in the flowers
      (reproduction purpose)
2. Leaves
    ~aid plants in photosynthesis with the   
      chlorphyll pigment in leaves
3. Stems
    ~maintain posture of the plants
    ~tranport water, nutrients and minerals from one part of plants to 
      another
4. Roots
    ~absorb water and mineral ions from soil

**Refer to Worksheet 1 for more practices. 

Plants that animals (herbivores) can eat

There are several different kinds of plants, and not all kinds of plants can be eaten.

Grasses are only edible to herbivores. That is because the plants contain kinds of fiber that many omnivores cannot digest efficiently. Many herbivores have specially adapted stomachs that allow them to digest these plants.

Wild grass

Zoysia grass flower

Fruit-Bearing Plants make fruit. Herbivores and omnivores can both eat fruit or vegetables from plants, however. Fruit and seeds and sometimes vegetables are part of the plant's reproduction, and generally the presence of pollinators will help these fruit-bearing plants survive better and make more fruit.

Strawberry

Pineapple

 

There are plants called grains which make seeds that can be eaten by certain kinds of omnivores but not all. Humans and chickens can eat grain seeds. Herbivores can eat the whole plant. 

Plants---The Essential Producer

Plants take the roles as the PRODUCERS in the natural food chains or BASE of the pyramid of number to provide energy for the dynamic ecosystem. They act as natural converters of energy after gaining energy directly from sunlight and undergoing the process of photosynthesis.

Energy from plants is then transferred to herbivores (plant eaters, e.g. cow, goat, horse) when they feed on the plants, followed by carnivores (meat eaters, e.g. lion, tiger, leopard ) or omnivores (plants and meat eaters, e.g. dog, cat, rat) and finally detritivores or decomposers (e.g. fungi, bacteria, termites). The decomposers later break down and supply nutrients back to the plants.

All herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and decomposers are known as CONSUMERS as they obtain energy from plants directly or indirectly through food chain transition instead of from the sun.

EXAMPLES OF SOFT STEM PLANTS

EXAMPLES OF WOODY STEM PLANTS

WeLcOmE to the AdVeNtUrE

This blog is created for educational purpose to my students as well as a platform of interactive learning and communication for them as well as the parents. A successful learning of our future generation can only be achieved in two-ways cooperation between teachers and the parents. 

Nature is a treasure of beauty granted to us by the God. Through this blog, besides providing an interactive and interesting platform of learning about knowledge of plants, you are encouraged to appreciate the beauty of these natural creation--PLANTS through the beautiful picture and nice video or music attached.

Video Sharing: Beauty of Nature

Let's explore the wonderful, mystery world of plants and cultivate our loving and awareness of preservation for them.