Grape leaf (Vitis sp.). Photo by Max Tepper. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
The main function of leaves is to absorb light so plants can make food. Plants may have leaves of different sizes, shapes, textures, and colors depending on their habitat.
Kale stem. Photo by Max Tepper. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Stems have two main functions: supporting the plant and transporting energy-rich food, water, and nutrients throughout the plant. Stems can differ in appearance and capabilities based on the habitat the plant has adapted to.
Carrots (Daucus carota), onions (Allium cepa) and sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) display three different kinds of roots, respectively: taproots, fibrous roots, and tubers. Photos by Max Tepper and Adobe Stock. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, and Adobe Stock.
The most important function of roots is to take in the water, minerals, and nutrients that the plant needs to grow. They also anchor plants and store food for future use.
Clockwise from top left: Sunflower (Helianthus sp.), Rosa ‘Betty Boop’, Darwin’s Orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale), and camellia. Photos by Huntington Staff and Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
The main purpose of flowers is reproduction. Plants have evolved many floral forms to accomplish this.
Flowers use shape, color, and smell to appeal to pollinators. Many also offer food incentives through sweet, calorie-dense nectar and protein-rich pollen. When animals visit these food sources, they pick up extra pollen on their bodies and transport it to other flowers.
Other flowers are small and plain because they do not need to advertise to animals. They release millions of pollen grains that are carried away by wind or water.
A variety of fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Clockwise from left: pumpkin, blackberries, tomato, pole beans, corn, sunflower seeds, hyacinth beans, and orange. Photo by Victoria Gonzalez. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Each seed holds everything needed for the first stage of a plant’s life. Within the protective coat is a tiny embryo with the beginnings of a root, stem, and leaves, as well as some stored food (endosperm) for the seedling.
The seed keeps the plant embryo safe while dispersing from its parent to where it will grow. Seeds can travel through the air, in water, or catch a ride with a passing animal.
A variety of produce including apples, plums and berries. Photo by Lisa Blackburn. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
After a flower is pollinated, a fruit full of seeds will develop. Botanically speaking, fruits include not only apples, oranges, and strawberries, but also tomatoes, beans, and squash.
Plants have evolved fruits that appeal to all kinds of animals, including humans. Mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects disperse many seeds when they forage for fruit, eat it, and then deposit seeds in their droppings.
