Plant Facts
Ever wondered what is Botany? Botany is the field of science in which you learn all about a plant so it is described as the study of plants. Plants are all around us every day. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are very small while others grown to be really big. They can grow in nearly any environment on earth, even in the hot desert or the frozen Tundra. If the conditions are just right, some plants can live for an amazingly long time. The oldest living tree right now is a great bristlecone pine tree that is 4,844 years old. This tree is older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Even though plants can be very different, they share many similarities too. They all start as the seed. When the seed is planted on the ground with just the right amount of water and sunlight, it starts to grow. This process is called Germination.
Eventually, roots grow down in the soil. They collect water and nutrients from the soil and also help to hold the plant in place. When the roots begin to spread out, the stem of the plant begins to grow upwards and breaks through the surface of the soil. It continues to reach up towards the Sun.
Plants try to reach up towards the Sun because the sunlight helps them to make their food. Even though the plants do not have mouth, they still need food. They make their own food in a process called photosynthesis. Inside the leaves of the plants, there is a green substance called chlorophyll. It is what makes all the plants green. Plants make their food by mixing the chlorophyll with sunlight, water and nutrients gathered from the soil and the carbon dioxide that animals and people breathe out. During photosynthesis, they also release oxygen that we need to breathe. So plants take in carbon dioxide and let out oxygen. We take in oxygen and let out carbon dioxide. Some plants bear fruits that we eat like grapes and apples. We can eat other parts of the plants too like leaves of spinach, roots of carrots, seeds of corn, stems of celery and the flowers of broccoli. We use plants in so many amazing ways every day.
