USES OF PLANTS

FOOD FROM PLANTS: 

VEGETABLES:

·   Some vegetables are available throughout the year and some are seasonal.

·     Examples: beetroot, spinach, turnip and cauliflower.

ROOTS:

·  Beetroot, radish, carrot and turnip are some of the roots that we eat as vegetables.

LEAVES:

·     Spinach, lettuce and cabbage are some of the leaves that we eat as vegetables.

STEMS:

·     Potato, onion, garlic and ginger are some of the stems that we eat as vegetables.

FLOWERS:

·     Broccoli and cauliflower are some of the flowers that we eat as vegetables.

FRUITS:

·     We get fruits from plants. Some fruits are juicy and fleshy.

·     Some of the fruits that we eat are orange, mango, apple, grapes, etc.

·     Fruits keep us healthy and strong. We should eat plenty of fruits daily.

·     Growing children should eat plenty of seasonal fruits.

OIL:

Seeds of some plants are oily.

·     oil is taken from the seeds like sesame, mustard, sunflower, etc.

·  This oil is used in preparing many kinds of food and also for some other purpose

Ground nut oil, coconut oil, mustard oil, etc. are also used for preparing food.

DRY FRUITS

·     Almond, chestnut, pistachio, raisin, etc. are used as dry fruits.

·     Oil can be extracted from the nuts/dry fruits.

 SPICES

·     We get spices from plants.

·      The spices give the vegetables good flavor and make them delicious.

·      Coriander, pepper, clove, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, etc. are some common spices to make the food tasty.

·    Cinnamon is the bark of tree species called cinnamomum.

COFFEE AND TEA

·     We get coffee and tea from plants.

·     Coffee is made from the seeds of coffee-plant.

·  Tea is prepared from the leaves of tea-plant.

SUGAR

·     We get Sugar from sugar cane juice.

·     With the help of sugar we make different kinds of sweet dishes, cakes, chocolate etc.

CEREALS:

·    Cereal, any grass yielding starchy seeds suitable for food.

·     They are rich in carbohydrates but comparatively low in protein

·     Rice, wheat, maize, barley and jowar are some of the cereals that we eat.

·     We make chapatti from the flour of wheat, maize and gram.

Flour, finely ground cereal grains or other starchy portions of plants, used in various food products and as a basic ingredient of baked goods.

PULSES:

·     We get pulses from plants.

·     Pluses are the seeds that can be eaten.

·     Beans, kidney beans, grams, peas are some of the pulses that we eat.

·     Pulses are very important for the growth of children.

·     Children should eat plenty of pulse in their meals.

OTHER USES OF PLANTS

MEDICINES 

·     Many medicines are made from plants and these plants are called medicinal plants.

·     Neem, tulsi, brahmi, surpagamdha, banafsa, bail, etc. are all medicinal plants.

·     We use these plants to cure patients suffering from various diseases.

PAPER: 

· Bamboo, eucalyptus, etc. are used to make paper for writing and printing purposes.

·     Rags of cotton are also used to make paper.

RUBBER: 

·     Some plants give us gum like acacia, etc. We get rubber from rubber-plants.

·     This rubber is used for making tyres for many vehicles.

·      We erase pencil marks with the help of a rubber or eraser.

WOOD: 

·     We get timber and fire- wood from trees. Our chairs, tables, doors, windows, etc. are made of wood.

·      The wood of trees like teak, shisham, sal, etc. is essentially used to make different furniture.

COTTON: 

·     We get cotton from cotton plants.

·     It is used to make all types of cotton clothes such as bed-sheets, towels, etc.