By Carly & Kaylee

There are very tiny plants so small that you couldn't possibly see them without a microscope. These plants don’t stay in one place as you probably expect plants to do. They have little tails and can swim around in water. The biggest living things in the world is plants. Giant sequoia trees often grow more then sixty metres. They can also be hundreds years old.

Inside the seed of every flowering plant

there is a tiny new plant called the

embryo. There will usually be a supply

of food for the embryo. All of this is

protected by a tough outer skin. The

food for the embryo is stored around it.

Plants are one of two major Kingdoms of life forms. There are about 300,000 plant species on Earth. Plants are the only life forms that can produce their own food using energy from sunlight. Plants produce almost all of the oxygen in the air that humans and other animals breathe. Plants are also an important source of food, building materials, and other resources that make life possible for Earth’s animals.

Scientists have a special system to keep track of plants and animals. They don't want to confuse a dog with a coyote, or a honey bee with a killer bee.

Every kind of plant or animal belongs to its own group, or "species." Similar species belong to a larger group, called a "genus." For example, dogs and wolves are two species. They are cousins belonging to the same "genus" (Canis) and the same "family:" canines, or Canidae.

These families belong to larger groups, too. Today, we'll look at members of a big group called the vertebrates. These are animals that have backbones. Do you have a backbone? Great. You're part of this group!

In a very general sense, the word seed is often used to refer to anything that is sown in the ground to produce a plant. However, not everything that can be sown – such as sunflower ‘seeds’ or ‘seed potatoes’ – is actually a seed. So what are seeds? Seeds are basically embryonic plants. They usually consist of three major components: the embryo itself, the embryo’s nutrient supply, and the seed coat, which provides protection. Seeds are an essential part of the reproductive process of most plants, and this article gives an overview of their structure and function.

Plants are the backbone of all life on Earth and an essential resource for human well-being. Just think about how your everyday life depends on plants.

Food: Everything we eat comes directly or indirectly from plants. Throughout human history, approximately 7,000 different plant species have been used as food by people.

Air: Oxygen is brought to you by plants, as a by product of photosynthesis.

Water: Plants regulate the water cycle: they help distribute and purify the planet's water. They also help move water from the soil to the atmosphere through a process called transpiration.

Habitat: Of course, aside from humans' myriad uses, plants make up the backbone of all habitats. Other species of fish and wildlife also depend on plants for food and shelter.

Medicine: One-quarter of all prescription drugs come directly from or are derivatives of plants. Additionally, four out of five people around the world today rely on plants for primary health care.

Climate: Plants store carbon, and have helped keep much of the carbon dioxide produced from the burning of fossil fuels out of the atmosphere.

http://www.gardensonline.com.au/PlantSearch/PlantSearch.asp

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/native.htm http://www.pga.com.au/ http://www.plantsplus.com.au/home/default.asp http://www.greenpatchseeds.com.au/ http://factoidz.com/images/user/150px-

SunflowerSeed2009(1).jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-

8JcRkyu0iJ8/Tc18N2vC7wI/AAAAAAAAAhY/YwPlCfV8mGM/s1600/seeds1.JPG

http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-page-main/ehow/images/a07/nb/ji/germinate-acorn-seed-800x800.jpg

Burnie, D. (1989). Plant. London: Dorling

Kindersley.

Royston, A. (1992). Minibeasts. London:

Dorling Kindersley .

The visual dictionary of plants. (1992).

London: Dorling Kindersley.

Information: Links and Hawkesdale school

library

By: Carly Watson & Kaylee Beard

Science Project

Picture: Taken By Carly Watson and

Kaylee Beard ( some off internet (links) )

Copy Right 2011