GoalKnow the common features of plants and the main groups (algae, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants); tell annual, biennial and perennial plants apart.
All plants breathe, take in food and grow. In sunlight they make nutrients from carbon dioxide and water and release oxygen into the air. Botanists divide plants into several groups. Algae grow in water and have no true roots, stems or leaves. Moss is a low, soft plant that grows in damp places. A fern has roots, a stem and leaves, but it does not flower or make seeds. Conifers (spruce, pine, larch) have needle-like leaves and their seeds ripen in cones. Flowering plants are the biggest group: they have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. By how long they live they are annual (wheat, tomato), biennial (carrot, cabbage) or perennial (trees and shrubs).
Worked examples
The green film on a pond is algae; the soft green “carpet” on a stone is moss; a feathery-leaved houseplant may be a fern.
Spruce, pine and larch are conifers. Pine needles are long and grow in pairs, while the larch sheds its needles in autumn.
Class activity
“Plant table”: draw five columns in your notebook (algae, moss, fern, conifer, flowering) and write or draw examples for each. Compare with classmates.
Practice
1
Name three features common to all plants.
They breathe, take in food and grow (and release oxygen).
2
Which group of plants has flowers and fruit?
Flowering plants.
3
Sort carrot, wheat and apple tree into annual, biennial and perennial.
wheat: annual; carrot: biennial; apple tree: perennial
4
How does a fern differ from moss?
A fern has a root, stem and leaves and is built in a more complex way.