1. Plants and Their Adaptations
What Vascular Plant Parts Do

2. Common Parts
Roots, stems, and leaves are in all vascular plants no matter how large or small they are.
Roots, stems, and leaves of plants allow them to live and grow because they are adapted to their environments

3. Roots
Roots act as a plant anchor to keep the plant from falling over or blowing away
Roots take in water and minerals through their root hairs and some store food
Roots adapt to different environments
Desert plants have roots that spread out but are close to the surface to take in lots of water when it rains
Trees in the forest need deep roots because they have plenty of water
Prop roots are tree roots that begin above the ground to keep trees from being blown over
Fibrous roots look like little tree branches and form a thick tangled mat under the surface to help prevent erosion…they anchor the soil and well as the plant
Taproots are single roots that reach water deep in the ground and store food
Some roots in the rain forest attach right to the trees and take water from the moist air!

4. Storage Roots
Since most plants can’t make food in the winter, some plants have storage roots.
Some plants have storage roots to store more water
Some plants story extra food and water in their stems
Plants that have lots of extra food and water in their roots are eaten by people—beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips
Root vegetables can taste sweet

5. Stems Hold the plant up Support the leaves so they will be in the sun
Carry food and water to other parts of the plant
Most stems grow upwards towards the sun
Will bend to find the sun
Some stems grow sideways and when it touches the ground a root and new plant will grow (strawberries, spider plant)
Cactus stems store water
Soft stemmed plants are usually small
Stems bend
Water in the stem holds the plant up
Live for just one growing season
Woody plants are large and need extra support
Grow year after year
Stems are stiff

6. Stems Xylem = tubes in plants the transport water and minerals
Xylem move upward from the roots to the leaves
Phloem = tubes that carry food
Move the food in the leaves to other plants (roots, stems, and leaves)
Flexible stemmed plants have xylem and phloem in bundles all throughout the stem
Wood stemmed plants have xylem and phloem in rings with xylem towards the middle and phloem towards the outside
Trunks get thicker as new xylem and phloem are formed
More xylem is made each year
Most of the tree thickness is xylem
When xylem gets old, it can’t transport water
When xylem will harden and become heartwood of the tree
People use heartwood for lumber (houses and furniture

7. Leaves Most leaves are thin and flat to help make food
Use water and minerals from the soil, carbon dioxide from the air, and energy from the sun to make food
Waste is oxygen that is released into the air.
Chlorophyll = helps plants use light energy to produce sugars and gives leaves their green color
Leaves stop making chlorophyll in the fall which causes leaves to turn colors
Food making takes place in the plant cell’s organelle called the chloroplast
Xylem and phloem bring water and mineral to the chloroplast
They also take sugars from them

8. Leaves Stomata are tiny holes in the leaves
Carbon dioxide enters through stomata
Oxygen and water leave through stomata
Open wide during the day
Closed at night
Waxy outer layer of a leaf helps it conserve energy when it is really hot
Venus’ flytrap catches its food because of the lack of nutrients in its soil
The leaves shut and release chemicals to digest the insect
Some leaves store food
Onion leaves are actually the part that we eat