Plant parts

Acorns are the nut of the oak tree. They start green and gradually go brown as they ripen. Squirrels are very fond of acorns.

Bark is the outer layer of a tree or large plant. Many types of trees usually shed their bark once a year and grow fresh bark underneath the old. Insects like beetles and spiders like to live under loose bark.

A culinary berry is any small, edible fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries. True botanical berries are defined by how the fruit was formed, and neither strawberries or raspberries are true berries.

True berries include blueberries, tomatoes, capsicums, cranberries and grapes. There are many other botanical berries that are not edible. All of these true berries have the fruit made from a single ovary with the seeds inside.

The trunk of a tree is also called a bole. The bole often refers to the lowest, widest part of the tree's trunk.

Branches are parts of a tree that are connected to the main trunk of a tree. Some trees have a very short trunk and lots of thick branches. Most branches are diagonal and point upwards, except in weeping trees where they may droop downwards. A very small branch is called a twig.

A bud is a point on a plant where something new is growing. Usually a bud is a place a new leaf is growing, but a flower that is just starting can also be described as a bud or flowerbud. Deciduous plants start to bud as spring approaches.

A bulb is a part of a plant that is usually below the ground, or partly below the ground. Bulbs are usually quite spherical but pointed at the top like a teardrop. Bulbs grow roots from the bottom and leaves from the top.

Some types of plants that grow from bulbs are onions, lilies and tulips.

Anything that has a similar shape to a bulb may also be called a bulb, such as the bulb at the bottom of an old fashioned thermometer.

A burr is any plant seedpod that is prickly and easily gets caught up in animal's fur.

A burr is also a sharp, rough edge left behind by a cutting tool, or a rough part on other kinds of surface.

A drupe is a kind of fruit that has a single seed in a hard shell in the middle of the fruit. Examples of drupes are cherries, plums, olives and apricots.

Flowers are the part of a plant that is used to make seeds, which grow into baby plants. Flowers are usually very pretty. The reason for this is the plant needs insects to come to the flowers and fertilize them so seeds can develop. Insects are attracted to the flowers by their colour and the sweet nectar that the plant grows inside the flower as a reward for the insects.