Sohan digs up a potato and a piece of ginger, and says they are roots…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Sohan digs up a potato and a piece of ginger, and says they are roots.
- Give a reason why a potato is a stem and not a root.
- Name two jobs of underground stems such as ginger.
- A cucumber plant climbs a fence with thin coiled parts. What are they?
- A Citrus plant has straight, pointed, woody thorns. Which part of the plant became each thorn, and what does it do?
- The flat green pads of Opuntia look like leaves. What are they, and what job do they do?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A node is where a leaf is attached. An internode is the stem between two nodes. An axillary bud is in the angle between a leaf and the stem. The terminal bud is at the tip. Underground stems (potato, ginger, turmeric, zaminkand, colocasia) store food and carry the plant through a bad season. Stem tendrils (cucumber) climb, thorns (Citrus) protect, and the flat stems of Opuntia make food. Runners, stolons and offsets spread the plant.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) A potato has nodes with buds, the eyes. Roots have no nodes or buds. So it is a stem.
Step 2. (b) Underground stems store food. They also help perennation, which carries the plant through a bad season.
Step 3. (c) Stem tendrils. They help the plant to climb.
Step 4. (d) An axillary bud became each thorn. The thorn protects the plant from animals that browse.
Step 5. (e) They are flattened stems. They contain chlorophyll and make the food. The leaves of Opuntia are spines.
Answer: (a) it has nodes and buds; (b) storage and perennation; (c) stem tendrils; (d) an axillary bud; protection; (e) flattened stems that make food.
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