stems

Stems let food and water pass from
leaves to other parts of the plant. Stems
are very important to any plant that lives
on earth. The flower has a small stem and
the tree has a big stem also known as a
trunk. A stem is the main shaft of a plant
that develops buds and shoots and
usually grows above ground. Stems are
the one thing that holds up the plant. Also
stems can be very stiff, as in tree stems,
or trunks. Or a stem could be flexible, like
a flower stem.

More Stem Facts

Unlike most animals, a plant grows
throughout its life. Growth not only
makes the plant bigger, but also
allows them to move. Plants cannot
shift from one place to another, but
plants can react to the world around
them. A plant's stem grows upward
toward the light, and its roots grow
downward into the ground. Some
plants grow around others or catch
hold of them, using slender leaves
called tendrils. These special kinds of
movement in response to outside
conditions are called tropisms. They
are caused by cells that grow at
different rates or when some cells
rapidly swell up or collapse. For
example, if a plant grows in the open,
all the tips of its stems receive the
same amount of light and grow at the
same speed. But if one side of a stem
is shaded, the the stem has to bend
toward the light. This bending
movement is called phototrtropism.
Stems help them grow and live.
Stems also help the plant support
itself.

There are all different kinds of
stems. There is the flower stem,
which is flexible, while tree stems
are very stiff and trees stems are
much bigger than a flower stem. A
flower stem could measure about
1 inch around but a big tree stem,
like the Red Wood could measure
about 50 feet around, or even
more! Wow! Any plant needs a
stem to live, stems are very
important to any plant on earth.
No plant could live without a stem,
its the way of plants.