TYPES OF PLANTS

There are two main types of plants, flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants have roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. Almost all the trees around us are flowering plants. You can probably recognize some plants from their flowers or their fruits.      Non-flowering plants cannot grow flowers. They include the fern, fungi and algae. You cannot see many non-flowering plants around you.      Roots grow down into the soil, often branching again and again. The roots are covered with tiny hars, which take in water and minerals from the soil.      The stem grows upward from the root. Part or all of the stem may be underground. A stem may trail along the ground, climb a post or grow straight up in the air.      Leaves produce food in the form of sugar, for the entire plant. The leaves contain a special green substance that enables them to do this. This substance is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll can produce sugar only in the presence of light. Carbon dioxide, which is a gas in the air, is also needed. So is water from the soil.      Plants grow in almost every part of the world. We see plants such as flowers, grass, and trees nearly everyday. Plants also grow in mountain tops, in the oceans, in many deserts and in polar regions. Some tiny plants that grow on the forest floor can be barely seen. Plants are also the oldest living things.