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Essential Plant Structures: Stems,

Reaching New Heights

Grade Recommendations: 9-12

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Presented by the Artesian Alliance

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Importance of Plant Stems

What are three ways in which stems are important to plants?

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Do all plant stems provide the same function? Try to think of at least two kinds of stems that are specialized and describe how each stem benefits the plant it is associated with.

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More Vascular Tissue!

Like roots, vascular tissue is also found in the stem of plants!

As plants continue to grow, xylem that is strengthened by lignin builds up within plant stems.

Secondary xylem strengthened by lignin forms wood!

This provides the structural basis or spine like function plants need to grow upright!

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Water Transport in Celery

Procedure:

  1. Collect 2 clear glasses, water, food color, and celery stalks with leaves.
    1. Pick 2 celery stalks that are similar in size.
  2. Cut the bottom of the celery stalks so they are even in height.
  3. Fill one glass with water and mix in 3 drops of food color. Do not fill the second glass with water or food color.
  4. Place the bottom of the celery stalks in each glass with the leaves at the top.
  5. Let sit overnight and observe the next day.
  6. Following observation on the second day, cut the celery stalk that was placed in the water in half and make further observations about the stalk interior.

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Water Transport in Celery

Questions:

  1. How do you think the celery stalks will differ tomorrow? Why?
  2. Will the celery stalk with the colored water be able to transport water even without roots? If so, how?
  3. After cutting the celery stalk with food color what were you able to observe?

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Mellon Foundation Slides Exit Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cfemD6RK1HmEaZH5PdQqBZjJuA9JcTRJTMkEn0UEyy4/edit?usp=sharing