A plant has a body divided into two parts. They are the root which is below ground and the shoot which is above the ground. The shoot is divided into three other parts. They are the stem, leaves and flowers.

The purpose of the root is to hold the plant in the ground and take in water and minerals from the soil. The purpose of the stem is to hold up the other parts of the plant and to transport water to leaves and flowers and support them. The stem also transports food to all parts of the plant. The purpose of the leaves is to make food and the purpose of the flowers is to reproduce - to make new plants.

Plants make their own food. They do this using water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air. The energy for making food comes from the Sun. The green colouring in leaves and stems absorb or soak up the sunlight and trap some of its energy.

Like most living things, plants are made from cells. Plant cells are different from animal cells. They have a wall made of a substance called cellulose which is often quite rigid. They also have a central space filled with water that gives extra support. If a plant loses too much water from its cells the plant sags or wilts because its cells are no longer full of water. The cells in leaves are different from animals cells in another way. They have green specks which absorb energy from sunlight.

When a plant reaches a certain stage in its growth it produces flowers. Flowers make pollen which must be passed to other flowers. Many flowers are brightly coloured and sweetly scented. They attract insects and the insects carry the pollen away for them. Some flowers use the wind to transport the pollen. They are small, green and without smell because they do not need to attract insects.

When a flower receives pollen it makes a fruit. Inside the fruit are seeds. Some fruits are juicy like an orange while others are dry and shaped like wings. The fruit of the sycamore, often called a spinning jenny, is a wing shaped dry fruit. Whatever form the fruit takes it has one purpose. This is to moves the seeds from the parent plant.

After the seeds have been spread they may rest in the ground for some time then germinate or sprout. Each seed produces a tiny plant called a seedling. In time the seedling becomes fully grown and produces seeds of its own. Some plants grow and set seed inside a year while many take longer to grow then produce flowers every year for many years.

2. Information that you might find useful if you are doing a project.