Plants have two Organ Systems: the shoot system and the root system.
1. The shoot system is above ground. This system includes these organs: stems, flowers, seeds, fruit, buds, and
Stems have many jobs, including supporting the plant; acting like the plant’s plumbing system, conducting water and nutrients from the roots and food in the form of sugar (glucose) made in the leaves to other plant parts.
There are two types of stems: herbaceous and woody. Herbaceous stems are bendable, such as the stems supporting a daisy. Woody stems are hard and do not bend easily, such as the trunk of trees.
Leaves are where most of the plant’s food is made. This is done by a chemical reaction called PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Leaves are designed to capture sunlight which is the energy source for this food producing process.
Flowers are where the seeds of plants are made.
Seeds contain new plants. Seeds form in fruit.
Fruit provides a covering for seeds. Fruit can be fleshy like an apple or hard like a nut.
2. The root system is below ground. This system includes roots, tubers (an enlarged, fleshy, underground stem with buds capable of producing new plants) and rhizomes (a horizontal stem that is usually underground and roots grow from it.)
Roots anchor the plant in soil so that it doesn’t fall over. Root are much like straws through which water and minerals from the soil move upward to the shoot system. Tiny root hairs stick out of the root, helping in the absorption. Roots also store extra food for future use.