Getting to Know Plants

Plants around us differ in size, shape and stem. In this chapter you will group plants into herbs, with green and tender stems, shrubs, with hard stems branching near the base, and trees, with thick woody trunks branching high above the ground. Plants with weak stems that spread on the ground are creepers, while those that climb using tendrils or other supports are climbers. You will study the parts of a plant: the stem, which carries water and minerals upward, and the leaf, with its petiole, lamina, midrib and veins. You will learn that leaves give out water vapour through transpiration and make food through photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. Leaf venation can be reticulate (net-like) or parallel, and this is linked to the root type: plants with reticulate venation usually have taproots, while those with parallel venation have fibrous roots. Finally, you will open a flower to observe its sepals, petals, stamens with anther and filament, and the pistil with stigma, style and ovary containing ovules.

Detailed Worksheet: Getting to Know Plants Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. Distinguish between herbs, shrubs and trees with one example of each. (2 marks) 2. What are creepers and climbers? Give one example of each. (2 marks) 3. What is venation? Name its two types. (2 marks) 4. What is transpiration? Which part of the plant carries it out? (2 marks) 5. Distinguish between taproot and fibrous roots with one example each. (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Classify into herbs, shrubs and trees: tomato, mango, rose, wheat, neem, lemon, tulsi, peepal, hibiscus. (3 marks) 7. A plant has reticulate venation in its leaves. (i) What type of root is it likely to have? (ii) Name one such plant. (iii) If a plant has fibrous roots, what kind of venation will its leaves have? Name one such plant. (3 marks) 8. In the polythene bag activity, a leafy branch of a potted plant is covered with a bag in sunlight. After an hour, 2 mL of water is collected in the bag. (i) How much water would be collected in 5 hours at the same rate? (ii) Name the process. (iii) Why is a similar bag tied on a branch without leaves used for comparison? (3 marks) 9. A flower is observed to have 5 sepals, 5 petals, 10 stamens and 1 pistil. (i) Find the total number of parts counted. (ii) Which parts are the male parts? (iii) Name the parts of the pistil. (3 marks) 10. Name the function of each plant part: (i) root (ii) stem (iii) leaf (iv) flower (v) petiole (vi) ovary. (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a labelled diagram of a leaf showing the petiole, lamina, midrib and veins. Indicate whether the venation drawn is reticulate or parallel. (4 marks) 12. Draw labelled diagrams of a taproot and a fibrous root. (3 marks) 13. Draw a labelled diagram of a flower cut lengthwise, showing sepals, petals, stamen (anther and filament) and pistil (stigma, style, ovary and ovules). (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Boojho put a cut balsam stem in a glass of water with a few drops of red ink. (i) What did he observe after a day? (ii) What does this show about the function of the stem? (iii) Why should the stem be cut under water? (iv) Name one other plant that can be used. (5 marks) 15. Paheli grew two pots of the same plant. She removed all leaves from one plant and kept the other with its leaves, giving both water and sunlight. (i) Which plant will stay healthy longer? (ii) Explain the role of leaves in food making. (iii) Write the word equation for photosynthesis. (iv) What gas is released in the process? (5 marks) 16. Look at a grass plant and a mustard plant. (i) Compare their leaf venation. (ii) Compare their root systems. (iii) What relationship do you observe between venation and root type? (iv) Why do roots spread widely in the soil? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Draw all diagrams neatly in pencil and label every part.