Kids Research Express

Parts of Typical Leaf The typical green leaf is called a foliage leaf. It usually consists of two basic parts: a petiole and a blade. The petiole is a stalklike structure that supports the leaf blade on the stem. It also serves as a passageway between the stem and the blade for water and nutrients. Another function of the petiole is to move the leaf into the best position for receiving sunlight. Most petioles are long, narrow, and cylindrical. Many plants, such as grasses and corn, do not have petioles. In these plants the base of the blade is attached directly to the stem—the base encircles the stem as a sheath. Such leaves are called sessile leaves. The leaf blade is usually a thin, flat structure. Its margins, or edges, may be smooth, as in the dogwood; jagged or toothed, as in the elm; or lobed, as in the oak and maple. The surface of the blade may be smooth, fuzzy, sticky, dull, or shiny. In most plants the leaves have a single blade and are referred to as simple. In other plants,...

Leaf Leaf, part of a plant that serves primarily as the plant's food-making organ in a process called photosynthesis. Leaves take part in other plant functions as well, including transpiration and guttation, both of which remove excess water from the plant, and respiration, the process by which a plant obtains oxygen and energy. Leaves also may store food and water and provide structural support. A leaf is an extension of a plant's stem. Although most leaves are flat, broad, or bladelike, they also may be many other shapes, including round, oval, or feathery. In general, the leaves of trees such as hardwoods tend to be broad and relatively large, and the leaves of conifers, or cone-bearing trees, are usually small and needlelike in shape. In size, leaves range from only several millimeters (a fraction of an inch) long, as in the water plant Elodea, to 15 to 18 m (15 to 60 ft) long, as in some palm trees. Green leaves derive their color from a green pigment called chlorophyll . ...

The major parts of a tree The major parts of a tree are its roots, trunk, leaves, flowers, and seeds. These components play vital roles in a tree’s growth, development, and reproduction. A. Roots Trees are held in place by anchoring organs called roots . In addition to anchoring the tree, roots also absorb water and minerals through tiny structures called root hairs. From the roots the water and mineral nutrients are carried upward through the wood cells to the leaves. Although the internal structure of most kinds of roots is similar, there are often external differences. Pines, for example, have a strongly developed taproot, or main root, in addition to branching side roots. In maples, on the other hand, there is little or no central taproot, and the other roots are produced in great numbers near the surface of the soil. Roots grow constantly, and at the growing tip of each root is a region called the meristem, which is composed of special rapidly dividing cells. Just behind the meris...

The body of a vascular plant is organized into three general kinds of organs: roots, stems, and leaves. These organs all contain the three kinds of tissue systems mentioned above, but they differ in the way the cells are specialized to carry out different functions. Roots The function of roots is to anchor the plant to its substrate and to absorb water and minerals. Thus, roots are generally found underground and grow downward, or in the direction of gravity. Unlike stems, they have no leaves or nodes. The epidermis is just behind the growing tip of roots and is covered with root hairs, which are outgrowths of the epidermal cells. The root hairs increase the surface area of the roots and serve as the surface through which water and nutrients are absorbed. Internally, roots consist largely of xylem and phloem, although many are highly modified to carry out specialized functions. Thus, some roots are important food and storage organs—for example, beets, carrots, and radishes. Suc...