The life cycle of a flowering plant: from seed to seed
Aprende
A flowering plant lives in stages, always in the same order. When they finish, they start again with new plants. That is why it is called a life cycle. We are going to follow a tomato plant.
The life cycle of a tomato plant Everything starts with a seed. Inside there is a very small plant, asleep. With water, air and warmth, the seed germinates: a root and a little stem come out.
The young plant grows. It gets more leaves and becomes full-grown. One day flowers appear on it. To flower is to grow flowers.
Pollen from another flower has to reach the flower. Pollen is a yellow powder. Then the flower wilts and the fruit grows. Inside the fruit there are seeds.
From the flower to the fruit with seeds The seeds fall onto the soil. If they have water and warmth, they germinate. That is how a new cycle starts. The plant does not turn back into a seed: it makes seeds, and from each seed another plant grows.
The tomato plant lives for a few months. The apple tree lives for many years and makes flowers and fruit every year.
Some plants live for a few months and some for many years
Worked examples
Ejemplo 1
Julie sows a tomato seed in the vegetable patch. A few days later, what does she see?
- The seed has a small plant inside.
- With water and warmth, the seed germinates.
- First a root and a little stem come out: a young plant.
She sees a young plant, with a root and a stem.
¡Ojo! Many children think a flower comes straight out of the seed.
Ejemplo 2
Tony looks at a tomato plant with yellow flowers and no tomatoes. Which stage comes next?
- Now the plant has flowers.
- Then the flower wilts.
- Where the flower was, the fruit grows: the tomato.
After the flower comes the fruit.
¡Ojo! Many children think the seeds come out of the flower without a fruit.
Ejemplo 3
Ellie cuts open a ripe tomato and keeps some seeds. What can grow from them?
- The tomato holds seeds.
- If she sows them, they germinate.
- From each seed a tomato plant grows, and the cycle starts again.
New tomato plants can grow from the seeds.
¡Ojo! Many children think the plant’s life ends with the fruit.
Un reto para pensar
With an adult, look at a plant in the playground or the park. Draw the stages in four boxes: seed, young plant, flower and fruit. Put a number in each box, from first to last. Do not pull up the plant.
Practica
Rondas de 10 preguntas. Elige el nivel: