Plants Traits

Plant Traits

I will be able to explain that plants inherit traits from their parents and variations or differences can happen in plants.

Time to Think

Open Ended

What are some traits that this flower may have inherited from their parents?

Traits in Planets

Have you ever walked through a garden and noticed that plants come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes? Plants also inherit traits from their parents. Plants can inherit the color of prestos on a flower, the stem length, root type, and the shape of leaves on a plant. Plants can also inherited what the seed looks like. All of these traits are inherited from their parents.

Multiple Select

What traits can plants inherit? Mark all that apply. (3)

• color of petal

• where it is planted

• stem size

• shape of leaf

Traits in Plants

There are also variations in plant traits. Even though you have plants which are the same species, they have variations just like animals and humans.

Traits in Plants

Plants also have variations in their inherited traits too. Even though you have plants which are the same species, they have variations just like animals and humans. In this picture, you can see that the same species of flower, a tulip, can come in many different colors. How many different colors can you see?

Environment Variation

Variation can also be caused by the environment. For example, the photo are bushes shaped to look like a family of elephants. Humans had an affect on these bushes by choosing to have them cut to look like this.

Multiple Choice

How can the environment affect plants?

• change the shape of plants

• what color they are

• their root size

Multiple Choice

This grass has a flattened patch by trucks driving on it. What kind of trait is this?

• Environmental trait

• Inherited trait

Cactus Species

Look at the photo to the right. Both of these plants belong to the cactus family and grow in the desert ecosystem. Answer the following questions about the two cacti.

Open Ended

What inherited traits can you identify?

Remember inherited traits are passed down from parents to offspring.

Multiple Select

Select the similarities between the cacti. Mark all that apply. (2)

• same number of arms

• both are green

• same height

• both having spikes

Multiple Select

What are some variations in traits? Mark all that apply. (2)

• different shape bodies

• one plant is taller

• same shade of green

• grow in different ecosystems