Herb Investigation By: Grant Nicoleta Cullen & Nick

Observations Light The plant under the light has grown just barely above the soil’s surface during the time of our growing process Both the light and the dark plants have been given the same amount of water but not the same amount of sunlight Dark The plant in the cabinet(dark) has grown a significant amount over the growing process Both plants (light and dark) have been given the same amount of water but not the same amount of sunlight *Since sunlight is a major necessity for plants to grow healthy and strong, and since the amount of “sunlight” given to both plants(dark and light)is not the same, the growing process might be changed and one plant may grow more than another

Background Information Basil belongs to the genus Ocimum, derived from the Greek ozo which means to smell, in reference to the strong odors of the species within the genus. Basil was used a lot in ancient medicine because of its strong smell.

Common name – Basil Scientific Name – Ocimum Basilicum Leaves Flowers Roots Stem

Information - The basil’s strong smell scares away the organisms that want to eat it. - It is an adaptation because the organisms won’t eat it. - Basil is used all across the world in foods everyday. Just yesterday, I put some chopped up basil on my pizza. It tasted a lot better. - In ancient Romania, when a man accepted a basil sprig from his wife, they were officially engaged.

Factors The three factors that can help or determine the growth of a plant: - Light - Water - Soil

Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is the process in which the plant takes in light and nutrients from the soil, and it makes energy for the plant to repeat the process. The main process of photosynthesis is to create usable energy for the plant. The xylem is important to photosynthesis because it transports water throughout the system.

Procedures First, you take a plastic cup. Next, you place three cotton balls at the bottom of the cup and put the dirt into the cup. Then, you make three holes in the top of the dirt and place the seeds in. Finally, you water it everyday until the day you take them out and inspect them.

Growing Process

Other Observations The light was directly over the plant. So the plant couldn’t really grow away from the light. This process it called phototropism. The roots grew down into the soil. This is called geotropism. No, I didn’t notice anything unusual during the investigation.

Conclusion The basil leaves grew to about the same height as every other plant. The data supported my hypothesis for the most part because I guessed the plant would grow to about 3 cm. The plant grew to about 3cm.

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