Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant

Every flowering plant starts life as a seed. With the right amount of warmth from sunlight, air and moisture (water), a seed starts to germinate.

The firsts that thing you see is the bean absorb water and swell. Then the first root breaks through the hard protective shell of the bean. Then the first shoot grows up towards the sunlight. Slowly more roots grow to support the plant and search out nutrients and water from the soil.

If the plant receives enough light and water it grows to become a seedling (baby plant). It grows more leaves and a longer stem or stalk and eventually becomes an adult plant.

Plants make their own food in their leaves. The leaves contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which colours the leaves green. Chlorophyll can make food for the plant. To make food a plant uses carbon dioxide (from the air) water (collected by its roots), nutrients (from soil), and energy from sunlight. This process is called photosynthesis. When it is time for the plant to reproduce, it produces flowers. After pollination and fertilisation have occurred, the flower develops into a fruit containing seeds.

If the seeds experience suitable conditions for germination, the life cycle starts over again.