28 HOW PLANTS GROW 



of the branch is called the terminal bud. This usually 

 expands first. It either forms a flower, and dies, or it 

 continues the growth of the stem. The lateral (side) 

 buds, if they expand, either open into flowers, and die, or 

 they develop into branches. 



Seeds. In plants that live through winter, the flowers 

 are commonly formed in the buds the season before they 

 expand. Many flowers are among the most beautiful and 

 fragrant of natural objects. They delight us with their 

 colors, their perfume, their freshness, their delicacy, and 

 their graceful forms. But the flowers have other uses 

 than to please the senses. By means of their flowers, 

 plants are able to form the fruits and seeds we prize so 

 much for food. Without seeds, many kinds of plants 

 would soon pass away, for there would be no more little 

 plants to take the places of those that die. 



QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES. 



1. Where is the growing portion of a root? Of a stem? 



2. How do root hairs help the plant to grow? Where are 

 they found? 



3. Name some stems that grow partly underground. 



4. Why are the cells of a leaf arranged in thin plates? 

 Why are the cell walls transparent? 



5. What gives the green color to leaves? 



6. When and where are dormant buds formed in woody 

 stems? When do they open? 



7. Split lengthwise a large terminal bud of the lilac or 

 of some other plant and see what you can find inside. 



