Plant Kingdom

The Plant Kingdom is made up of all different kinds of plants. Most plants are autotrophs which means that they make their own food.

Plants use photosynthesis to make their own food. Plants are multi-cellular which means that they have more than one cell.

Characteristics of Plants

Cells that are found inside plants are grouped together when they have similar functions and they make tissues.

The plant cell wall separates the plant from the environment. The cell wall of a plant is made of cellulose and this gives the plant a rigid feeling.

The cell wall has chloroplast, which is where food is made. The vacuole is a sack-like area where food and waste are stored.

When the vacuole does not get enough water, the plant will wilt.

Plant Adaptations

Plants are thought to have all lived underwater at some point, but this is how it is today. In order for plants to survive, plants have to have water and be able to keep the water.

Plants have a layer that is called a cuticle that covers the leaves so that water does not leak out of the plant.

Plants have tubes inside of them so that they can transport water and nutrients to all of the vascular tubes.
The vascular tubes also help to support the plant and help them to stand and be strong.

Plant Reproduction

Plants reproduce by sexual reproduction. This means that the plant’s offspring will look like the parent plant.

Plant Groups

Plants are usually grouped into two different groups, vascular and non-vascular. Non-vascular plants are plants that do not have tubes to transport water.

Non-vascular plants usually grow close to the ground and they do not have roots. Non-vascular plants get water from absorbing the water in their surroundings.

Most non-vascular plants live in moist and shaded places such as moss.

Vascular plants have vascular tubes that help to transport water to and from all parts of the plant. Vascular plants can get water from the soil because of their roots.

Vascular plants can grow tall because their vascular tubes help to protect them and keep them from falling over.

Vascular Plants

There are three different types of vascular plants: seedless vascular plants that reproduce by making spores, gymnosperms which reproduce by spreading seeds, and angiosperms produce by the seeds in their fruit.

Facts About the Plant Kingdom:

  • The plant has different stages of a lifecycle.
  • Some plants are flowering and non-flowering plants, meaning that some plants produce flowers while other plants do not have flowers.
  • Trees are considered vascular plants.
  • Vascular plants use sunshine, carbon dioxide, and oxygen to make food.
  • Plants help to give the Earth oxygen.

What Did You Learn?

  • Where do non-vascular plants live? Most non-vascular plants live close to the ground, in shady and moist areas.
  • Why are non-vascular plants short? Most non-vascular plants are short because they do not have roots or a vascular tissue to help them grow tall.
  • Why are vascular plants tall? Vascular plants are tall because they have vascular tubes which are long tube-like structures that transport water and keep the plant growing tall.
  • Why can vascular plants survive in different environments? Vascular plants can survive in different environments because they have a root system and a vascular system that allows them to get and retain water from the soil.
  • What is an angiosperm? An Angiosperm plant is a plant that reproduces by its seeds. An example of this is an apple tree.
  • What is a gymnosperm? A gymnosperm plant reproduces by spreading its seeds like a Pine tree that sheds its needles.