Diversity in plants: size and stem types
On a walk in the garden you see a tall coconut palm, a rose bush with thorns, a small coriander plant, a grapevine climbing a fence and a pumpkin spreading on the ground. All are plants, but they look so different. This variety is called diversity.
Plants differ in size, from huge trees to tiny moss and algae seen only with a microscope. By the kind of stem they are grouped as trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and creepers.
In the figure : In the figure A is a tree (strong trunk), B a shrub (thin branches near the ground), C a herb (small soft stem), D a climber (winds round a support) and E a creeper (spreads on the ground).
Rule 1: Diversity in size — Plants range from huge trees to microscopic algae.
- Easy : A banyan tree is very large; a 250-year-old banyan in Kolkata has over 3,500 aerial roots.
- Medium : Grass and moss are small plants.
- Exam-type : Some algae can be seen only through a microscope.
Rule 2: Groups by stem — Tree – strong trunk. Shrub – 5–6 ft, thin branches near the ground. Herb – small soft stem. Climber – weak stem on a support. Creeper – spreads on the ground.
- Easy : Tree: mango. Shrub: rose, hibiscus, heena.
- Medium : Herb: coriander. Climber: grapevine (uses tendrils).
- Exam-type : Creeper: pumpkin spreads on the ground.
Climbers need a support; creepers spread on the ground.
Calling every green plant a tree. Only plants with a strong trunk are trees.
Memory clue: Tree – Shrub – Herb – Climber – Creeper (strong trunk first, then weak stems).
Spot the difference
| Group | Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tree | Strong trunk | Mango |
| Shrub | Thin branches near ground | Rose |
| Herb | Soft small stem | Coriander |
| Climber | Weak, needs support | Grapevine |
Practice questions
- 1What is diversity?
- 2Name the five groups of plants by stem.
- 3Which plants have a strong trunk?
- 4Give two examples of shrubs.
- 5Give an example of a herb.
- 6How does a climber differ from a creeper?
- 7Why can't we see some algae with the naked eye?
- 8Raju calls a tall pumpkin plant a tree. What is the right group?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The variety found among living things.
- 2Trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, creepers.
- 3Trees
- 4Rose and hibiscus.
- 5Coriander
- 6A climber climbs a support; a creeper spreads on the ground.
- 7They are extremely small and can be seen only with a microscope.
- 8A creeper – it has a weak stem and spreads on the ground.
Diversity in leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds
Look at the leaves of a mango, a rose and a peepal tree. One has a smooth edge, one has tooth-like edges and one is heart-shaped. Flowers, fruits and seeds also differ. Each plant has its own leaves, flowers and fruits.
Leaves differ in size, shape, margin (edge), stiffness, visible veins and length of the stalk. Flowers differ in shape, colour, number of petals and smell. A fruit forms from a flower and contains seeds.
In the figure : Leaves differ in shape and edges: A has a smooth edge, B a toothed edge, C is long and narrow and D is heart-shaped.
Rule 1: Leaves — Look at the shape, edge, size, veins and stalk.
- Easy : A mango leaf is long and smooth-edged.
- Medium : A rose leaf has toothed edges.
- Exam-type : A peepal leaf is heart-shaped with a long stalk.
In the figure : A fruit forms from a flower (1 and 2) and contains seeds (3).
Rule 2: Flowers, fruits and seeds — Flowers differ in colour, shape, petals and smell. Fruits differ in shape, colour, taste, number of seeds and peel.
- Easy : A jasmine is small and sweet-smelling; a sunflower is large.
- Medium : A mango has one big seed; a guava has many small seeds.
- Exam-type : Wheat, rice, jowar, corn, bajra, chickpea, pea and groundnut are seeds.
Diversity in leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds
In the app you can move this figure with your finger.
Open in the appFruit comes from the flower. Some plants never flower; some flower in a season, some all year.
Thinking leaves of all plants look the same. Leaves differ in shape, edge, size, veins and stalk.
Memory clue: Flower → Fruit → Seed → New plant.
Spot the difference
| Part | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Leaf | Size, shape, edge, veins, stalk |
| Flower | Colour, petals, smell |
| Fruit | Shape, taste, seeds, peel |
Practice questions
- 1Name two ways in which leaves differ.
- 2What does a fruit form from?
- 3What does a fruit contain?
- 4Name two grains that are seeds.
- 5How are flowers different from each other?
- 6Which fruit has one big seed and which has many small seeds?
- 7Why do some plants have no flowers? Do they still make seeds?
- 8Meena says every plant has the same kind of leaf. Show that she is wrong using two leaves.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Shape and edge (or size).
- 2A flower
- 3Seeds
- 4Wheat and rice (or bajra, jowar).
- 5In colour, shape, number of petals and smell.
- 6Mango has one; guava has many.
- 7Some plants never flower (like moss and ferns). They use other ways to reproduce.
- 8A mango leaf is long and smooth-edged while a rose leaf has toothed edges.
Monocots, dicots and venation
Look at a wheat grain and a gram seed. Wheat is a single piece, but a gram seed splits into two equal halves. Their leaves and roots are also different. Scientists use these differences to group plants.
Dicot (द्विदल) seeds split into two equal halves ('di' = two); monocot (एकदल) seeds have one part. Venation is the arrangement of veins in a leaf: reticulate (net-like) or parallel.
In the figure : Leaf A has reticulate (net-like) venation and leaf B has parallel venation.
Rule 1: Venation — Net-like veins = reticulate. Veins running side by side = parallel.
- Easy : Grass leaf: parallel venation.
- Medium : Peepal leaf: reticulate venation.
- Exam-type : Wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, corn (monocots) all have parallel venation.
In the figure : A dicot seed splits into two equal halves (A); a monocot seed has one part (B).
Rule 2: Monocot and dicot seeds — Monocot: one part. Dicot: two halves.
- Easy : Maize is a monocot.
- Medium : Gram, pea and groundnut are dicots.
- Exam-type : Soak gram seeds overnight; they split into two halves easily.
In the figure : Plant P (a monocot) has parallel venation and fibrous roots. Plant Q (a dicot) has reticulate venation and a tap root.
Rule 3: Putting it together — Monocot: parallel venation + fibrous roots. Dicot: reticulate venation + tap root.
- Easy : Wheat is a monocot: parallel veins, fibrous roots.
- Medium : A gram plant is a dicot: net veins, tap root.
- Exam-type : Look at the leaf and the root together to decide the group.
Monocot = Mono (one) part; Dicot = Di (two) parts.
Mixing up the groups. Parallel veins go with monocots, not dicots.
Memory clue: Mono–Parallel–Fibrous; Di–Reticulate–Tap.
Spot the difference
| Feature | Monocot | Dicot |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | One part | Two halves |
| Venation | Parallel | Reticulate |
| Root | Fibrous | Tap |
Practice questions
- 1What is venation?
- 2Name the two types of venation.
- 3Which seeds split into two halves?
- 4Name two monocot plants.
- 5Name two dicot plants.
- 6What kind of venation and roots do monocots have?
- 7A plant has net-veined leaves and a tap root. Is it a monocot or a dicot?
- 8Sita says maize is a dicot as it has many grains. Correct her.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The arrangement of veins in a leaf.
- 2Reticulate and parallel.
- 3Dicot seeds
- 4Wheat and rice.
- 5Gram and pea.
- 6Parallel venation and fibrous roots.
- 7Dicot
- 8Each maize grain has one part and the plant has parallel venation, so maize is a monocot.
Roots and habitat of plants
When you pull out a small grass tuft, a bunch of thin roots comes out. When you pull out a carrot or radish, one thick root comes out. Roots hold the plant and drink water from the soil. A lotus lives in water and a cactus lives in a desert; each plant has a home where it grows well.
A tap root (सोटमूळ) is one main root with smaller branches. Fibrous roots (तंतुमय मुळे) are a bunch of thin roots from the base of the stem. A plant's habitat (अधिवास) is the environment that suits its growth.
In the figure : X has a tap root (a main root with smaller branches) and Y has fibrous roots. The thin root hairs (R) absorb water and minerals.
Rule 1: Types and work of roots — Roots support the plant, absorb water and minerals through root hairs, and sometimes store food.
- Easy : Carrot and radish have tap roots which store food.
- Medium : Grass and wheat have fibrous roots.
- Exam-type : Potato "eyes" that sprout are parts of the stem, not roots.
In the figure : A plant grows well where its habitat suits it: here A is in water, B in a dry place and C on a hill.
Rule 2: Habitat — A habitat depends on soil type, temperature, sunlight hours and other living organisms.
- Easy : Lotus lives in water (aquatic).
- Medium : Acacia and cactus live in dry places (arid).
- Exam-type : A water lily cannot grow in a desert because its habitat needs water.
Habitat = favourable environment. Roots: support, absorb, sometimes store.
Calling potato sprouts roots. They are parts of the stem.
Memory clue: Tap = One Thick; Fibrous = Many Thin.
Spot the difference
| Point | Tap root | Fibrous roots |
|---|---|---|
| Look | One main root | Bunch of thin roots |
| Example | Carrot, mango | Wheat, grass |
| Plant type | Dicot | Monocot |
Practice questions
- 1What is a tap root?
- 2What are fibrous roots?
- 3What is habitat?
- 4Name two functions of roots.
- 5What are root hairs for?
- 6Give an example of a plant that lives in water and one that lives in a dry place.
- 7List two things a plant's habitat depends on.
- 8Raju says potato sprouts are roots. Is he right?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A main root with smaller branches.
- 2A bunch of thin roots coming from the base of the stem.
- 3The environment favourable for the growth of a plant.
- 4Support the plant and absorb water and minerals.
- 5To absorb water and minerals.
- 6Lotus; cactus (or acacia).
- 7Soil type and temperature (or sunlight, other organisms).
- 8No. They are parts of the stem.
Animals and their habitats
A cow grazes in a field, a fish swims in a pond, a frog sits on the bank and jumps into the water, and a crow flies over the tree. Each animal lives where it finds food and a suitable place to live.
Animals include insects, birds, reptiles and tiny water animals, not only four-legged ones. Terrestrial (भूचर) animals live on land; aquatic (जलचर) animals live in water all their life; amphibians (उभयचर) spend one stage in water and can live on land and water; birds are aerial (खेचर).
In the figure : The fish (A) is aquatic, the frog (B) is an amphibian, the bird (C) is aerial and the deer (D) is terrestrial.
Rule 1: Groups by habitat — Terrestrial – land. Aquatic – water (fish breathe with gills). Amphibian – both. Aerial – air.
- Easy : Cow and deer are terrestrial.
- Medium : Fish are aquatic; they breathe with gills.
- Exam-type : A frog is an amphibian; a crow is aerial.
Rule 2: Charak Samhita groups — Bilashaya – underground. Dhanvachara – dry land. Aanup – wetland. Shakhad – branches. Varishaya – water. Varichara – floating birds. Guhashaya – caves.
- Easy : A snake living in a burrow is Bilashaya.
- Medium : A monkey on branches is Shakhad.
- Exam-type : An animal's body suits its habitat: fish have gills, birds have wings.
An animal lives where it can adapt to the temperature, food and other animals.
Thinking only four-legged animals are animals. Insects, birds and water animals are animals too.
Memory clue: Land – Water – Both – Air = Terrestrial, Aquatic, Amphibian, Aerial.
Spot the difference
| Group | Lives in | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Terrestrial | Land | Deer, cow |
| Aquatic | Water | Fish |
| Amphibian | Land and water | Frog |
| Aerial | Air | Crow, sparrow |
Practice questions
- 1What is a terrestrial animal?
- 2What is an aquatic animal?
- 3What is an amphibian?
- 4Name an aerial animal.
- 5How do fish breathe?
- 6Which group does a frog belong to?
- 7Which Charak Samhita term means animals living in caves?
- 8A student says a butterfly is not an animal because it has no four legs. What is wrong?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1An animal that lives on land.
- 2An animal that lives in water all its life.
- 3An animal that spends one stage in water and can live on both land and water.
- 4Crow (or any bird).
- 5Through gills.
- 6Amphibians
- 7Guhashaya
- 8Insects are animals too; animals need not have four legs.
Quick revision
- Plant groups by stem: trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, creepers.
- Monocot: parallel venation, fibrous roots. Dicot: reticulate venation, tap roots.
- Habitat = favourable environment; terrestrial, aquatic, amphibian, aerial animals.