Every flowering plant goes through a life cycle. A seed germinates and a seedling pushes up out of the soil. The seedling grows into an adult plant with leaves and flowers. The flowers are pollinated and make new seeds, often inside a fruit. The seeds are dispersed and the cycle starts again.
Different plants have life cycles of different lengths. A sunflower grows from seed to seed in one summer. An oak tree may grow for many years before it makes acorns. All of them share the same stages: birth, growth, reproduction and death.
Worked example
Put these in order: flower, seed, seedling, fruit.
- A seed germinates first.
- It grows into a seedling.
- The adult plant makes a flower, then fruit with new seeds.
Answer:Order: seed, seedling, flower, fruit.
Key words
- life cycle
- the stages a living thing goes through
- seedling
- a young plant
- reproduction
- making new living things
- fruit
- the part of the plant that holds the seeds
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NGSS-referenced: 3-LS1-1