PLANTS 



the ground both water and substances which are dissolved 

 in the water. 



The Shoot. The part of the plant which starts upward 

 from the seed, and usually grows in the air, is the shoot. 

 The shoot is composed of stem and leaves. 

 The stem is the axis of the shoot. The stem 

 of a large plant, such as a tree, is composed of 

 the trunk and the branches. The functions, 

 or duties, of the stem are to hold the leaves 

 where they will be exposed to the light, and 

 to carry substances between the roots and the 

 leaves. Stems are made up of nodes and inter- 

 nodes. The nodes are the places where leaves 

 and branches come out of the stem, and the 

 internodes are the parts of the stem between 

 the nodes. 



Leaves. In general, leaves grow in such 

 a position as to receive the 

 most light. Leaves are very 

 important parts of the plant, 

 for in them the raw substances 

 taken from the ground and 

 the air are made into useful foods for the 

 plant. The parts of a leaf are the base, 

 the petiole, or leaf-stem, and the blade. 



Vegetative Parts. The stem, leaves, 

 and roots work together to secure and 

 store up food, and thus to bui Id a strong, 

 healthy plant. They are called its vegetative parts. 



Fie. 6. 



Stem of bam- 

 boo showing 

 nodes and in- 

 ternode 



Pans of a leaf 



