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Although plants come in different shapes and sizes, they share some common characteristics. Most plants have roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Each part of the plant has a different job to do to keep the plant healthy and help it grow.

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Most plants have roots under the ground. These roots anchor the plant in place and absorb water and other minerals from the soil.  Thousands of microscopic root hairs provide a large surface area to absorb water.

Stems hold up the leaves and flowers. Tubes in the stems carry water and food to the rest of the plant.  Some of the tubes are responsible for transporting food (phloem); while other tubes are responsible for carrying water (xylem). Water moves up from the roots through a process called osmosis.

Try this experiment and you can see how the phloem and xylem cells move water and food throughout the plant.