The Life Cycle of... Plants

Lima Bean Life Cycle Seed- A lima bean plant’s life cycle starts with the planting of a seed. Instead of growing inside a fruit, lima bean seeds grow inside a long, curved pod. Each seed, or bean, is flat and round. The bean has two identical sides. Between them is a tiny plant, or embryo. In order to grow, the seed has to be planted and watered.

Germination The water causes the small plant inside the bean to grow or germinate. Germination occurs when the tiny plant uses the food in the bean to grow. The hard shell around the lima bean bursts open and a root starts to grow downward from the bean into the ground. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=fPTJ3qD1ikk&NR=1

Seedling Slowly, the bean is lifted above the ground and a stem appears on the lima bean plant. Its roots help to anchor the plant to the ground. After several days, leaves appear on the stem and grow towards the sunlight. The plant becomes a seedling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzuug-Cs1w

Adult Plant The leaves conduct photosynthesis, giving the plant more food to grow. Over time, the new plant becomes mature. It then produces buds at its growing tips. These buds eventually open into flowers on the plant. Bees and other flying insects rub pollen (a powdery substance) on the insides of the flowers of the plant.

Continued Lima pods with seeds begin to grow soon after. The ripe pods spring open and “shoot” the seeds out and away from the parent plant. If the seed fall to the ground, each may grow into a new plant. Then the cycle begins again. Continued

Lima Bean Life Cycle Seedling Adult Seed Germination

Radish Life Cycle Have you ever eaten a radish? It looks like a little red ball with white, crunchy insides. Radishes were first developed in China. The part that people usually eat are the root. Like lima beans, radish plants go through a life cycle of several stages.

Seed A lima bean plant starts as a tiny seed. Like lima beans, radish seeds actually grow in a pod. The seeds fall to the ground.

Germination A radish seed may germinate very quickly after it is planted. It pushes a root downward into the ground. The root also pushes the seed upward as it grows larger. Part of it becomes the stem.

Seedling http://www.edutube.org/video/time-lapse-radish-seeds-sprouting-roots-growing Next, the stem begins to grow leaves. The first leaves are small, but the leaves grow longer and broader as the plant continues to grow.

Adult Plant It usually takes about 30 to 40 days for a radish plant to go from a seed to an adult plant. As the plant matures, its main root also grows larger. The root grows round and darker in color.

Continued The adult plant also has flowers. A radish can only produce if its flowers are rubbed with pollen from another radish plant. Bees and other flying insects often bring the pollen from one plant to another. Continued

http://vimeo.com/9409165 Seedling Seed Adult Germination

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NOTES Just like animals, plants have life cycles. Life Cycle of a Lima Bean. The lima bean plant provides a good example of a typical plant life cycle. SEED- The organism starts off as a seed. GERMINATION- The seed begins to grow. SEEDLING-The bean is lifting above the ground. The first leaves start to appear. ADULT PLANT- The flowers of the adult plant will produce seeds. Life cycle of a radish is similar.