What is the lifecycle of a plant?
Plants are living things. This means that they grow and reproduce.
When a plant grows from a seed or bulb into a mature plant whose flowers or fruit produce new seeds to grow into new plants, this is called a life cycle.
Let's find out more about a lifecycle of a plant.
Follow the journey of a plant's life.
The lifecycle of a plant
The world is full of different plants like flowers, trees and vegetables but most plants grow from a seed or a bulb.
There are a series of steps that need to happen for a seeds and bulbs to grow into plants.
Let's have a look at these steps.
A seed gets planted either by humans or animals or gets blown by the wind.
Seeds need water in order to start growing. This is called germination.
Germ - in - ation
When a seed germinates it will start growing roots and shoots. Its roots will grow deeper in the ground to find more water.
Whilst shoots will grow upwards to find light.
The shoots will then grow a stem and leaves above the ground.
Some plants will grow flowers that will turn into fruits and make their own seeds.
The seeds will get spread by animals, humans or the wind and the process will start all over again.
We call this the lifecycle of a plant.
Did you know?
There are over 390,000 different species of plants on our planet but that is only the ones which have been found and identified.
There could be many more that just haven't been discovered yet.
Watch: Lifecycle of a dandelion
Discover how dandelions spread their seeds.
What are the five stages of a life cycle of a plant?
A seed or bulb germinates which means it starts to grow.
The roots of a plant grow downwards to find water and nutrients for the plant. A shoot grows upwards to find light. This usually takes place underground.
The plant becomes mature.
Buds grow on the plant which opens and become flowers. Sometimes these flowers then grow fruit.
The flowers and fruits grow their own seeds which can then grow into new plants.
Did you know?
Seeds don't always need to be planted in soil to germinate and begin to grow as long as they are somewhere damp.
Some seeds, such as cress seeds, will germinate and begin to grow if they are put on a damp piece of cotton wool or paper towel and bean seeds can germinate and grow in a food bag taped to a glass window.
Activities
Test your knowledge of the plant lifecycle with the activities below.
Activity 1: Plant lifecycle quiz
Activity 2: Drawing and describing
Print out or draw some pictures which show the different stages of a plant's lifecycle using the worksheet below.
Label each stage and explain what is happening.
Do you have plants in your home or garden? What stage of their lifecycle are they at?
Lifecycle of a plant worksheet
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