Plants used as food — lesson. Science State Board, Class 6.

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Plants are the primary source of food for animals, including humans.

Plants provide us with food in the form of vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses, and seeds. These plants are known as food plants.

The foods that we consume from plants comes from the various parts of it.

The different parts of the plant that we consume include - root, stem, leaf, seeds (unripe), and the ripen fruits.

The food plants can be classified as:

Vegetables and fruits
Cereals
Pulses

Plants also provide us with tea, coffee, sugar, and also raw materials for oil.

Vegetables and fruits:

Vegetables are obtained from the various parts of the plant:

1. Vegetables obtained from roots:

Root vegetables grow under the soil, and the roots of the plants are consumed as vegetables. They generally act as a storage part that stores energy. They have high water content and have relatively lower carbohydrate content.

Example:

Beetroot, carrot, radish, turnip, ginger, sweet potato etc.

Root vegetables

2. Vegetables obtained from leaves:

Plant leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Leaf vegetables mostly belong to the herbs (lettuce, spinach). They contain a lot of plant nutrients and are low in calories.

Example:

Cabbage, curry leaves, lettuce, spinach etc.

3. Vegetables obtained from stems:

Stem vegetables are food plants from where edible stems are harvested and consumed as vegetables. The edible stems can be present above the ground or can be present as modified-underground stems. The swollen modified stems like bulbs, tubers, rhizomes can serve as a main food storage organ. Tubers like potatoes or yams are starchy.

Example:

Potato, yam, celery, asparagus, kohlrabi etc.

4. Vegetables obtained from flowers:

Flower vegetables include plants where flowers are used as food.

Example:

Banana flower, cauliflower, broccoli, artichoke etc.

5. Fruits:

Example:

Guava, amla, apple, orange, grapes etc.

6. Cereals:

Cereals are grass that is cultivated and grown for the edible component of its grain. Cereals are seeds that consist of germ, endosperm, and bran.

Example:

Rice, wheat, maize, oat, barley, bajra, millets, sorghum etc.