21
The world of plants
Textbook: Part 1, pp. 72–75
GoalKnow why plants matter (oxygen, food) and their kinds (wild, cultivated, vegetable, fruit, cereal, ornamental); understand the words botany and flora.
New words
plant · o‘simlikroot · ildizoxygen · kislorodcultivated plant · madaniy o‘simlik
Explanation
Without plants living things could not exist. Plants draw water and minerals from the soil with their roots, make sugar in their green leaves using sunlight and release oxygen into the air, which we breathe. Plants that people sow and grow are called cultivated; those that grow by themselves are wild. Cultivated plants are vegetables, fruit, cereals and ornamentals. The science that studies plants is botany, and the plant world is called flora.
Worked examples
Vegetables: potato, carrot, onion. Fruit trees: apple, apricot, pomegranate. Cereals: wheat, rice, barley.
Rose and tulip are ornamental plants; they decorate gardens and streets.
Class activity
Experiment “How does a plant drink?”: pour water into a glass and add 10–15 drops of food colouring (or ink). Put in a white flower (or a celery stalk). After a day the petals (stalk) are coloured: water has climbed up the stem. Safety: do not put the dye in your mouth and wash your hands afterwards.
Practice
1
What do plants release into the air?
oxygen
2
What is the difference between cultivated and wild plants?
people grow cultivated ones; wild ones grow on their own
3
Which is a cereal crop: wheat, cabbage, apple?
wheat