Getting to know plants :- Plants are usually grouped into herbs, shrubs and trees based on their height, nature of stem and branches.

Herbs :- Plants with green and tender stems are called herbs. They are usually short and may not have many branches.

Shrubs :- Some plants develop branches near the base of the stem. The stem is hard but not very thick. Such plants are called shrubs.

Trees :- Some plants are very tall and have hard and thick stems. The stems have branches in the upper part, much above the ground. Such plants are called trees.

Creepers :- Plants with weak stems that cannot stand upright but spread on the ground are called creepers.

Climbers :- Those plants which take support and climb up are called climbers.

Note:- Creepers and climbers are different from herbs , shrubs, and trees.

Stem :- Stem helps in upward movement of water. The water and minerals go to leaves and other plant parts attached to the stem.

Leaf :-

• The part of the leaf by which it is attached to the stem is called
• The broad, green part of the leaf is called lamina.
• lines on the leaf are called
• Prominent line on the middle of the leaf is known as
• The design made by veins in a leaf is called the leaf venation. If this design is net-like on both sides of midrib, this venation is known as
• In some leaves the veins are parallel to one another. This is parallel venation.

Transpiration :- Water comes out of leaves in the form of vapour by a process called transpiration. Plants release a lot of water into the air through this process.

Photosynthesis :- Leaves prepare their food in the presence of sunlight and a green coloured substance present in them(known as chlorophyll). For this, they also use water and carbon dioxide. This process is called photosynthesis.

Oxygen is given out in this process. The food prepared by leaves ultimately gets stored in different parts of the plant. Therefore, leaves are known as the “kitchen of a plant”.

 Roots:-  we could not pull out the plants from the soil. This is because roots help in holding the plant firmly to the soil. They anchor the plant to the soil.

Types of Roots:-

• Tap roots :- A taproot is a single, large root that grows vertically downwards from the base of a plant.
• Fibrous Root:- A network of thin, branching roots that emerge from the base of the stem, rather than a single, main root.
• Lateral Roots:- lateral roots are thin, branch-like roots that grow out from the main root.

Note :- Roots absorb water and minerals from the soil and the stem conducts these to leaves and other parts of the plant. The leaves prepare food. This food travels through the stem and is stored in different parts of the plant.

Flowers:-

• Petals:- The prominent parts of the open flowers are the petals.
• Sepals:- petals are in a closed bud Which is the most prominent part in a bud this part is made of small leaf-like structures. They are known as Sepals.
• Pistil:- The innermost part of the flower is called the pistil.
• Ovary:- It is the lowermost and swollen part of the pistil. Small bead like structures inside the ovaries are called ovules.