Name: Pd: date: _

The Great Flower Experiment

Introduction
Water is absorbed from the soil into the roots of a plant. Water travels through long, thin tubes
running up from the roots through the stems and leaves called xylem. Water moves up the xylem
through a process called capillary action. Capillary action allows water to be pulled through the
thin tubes because the molecules of water are attracted to the molecules that make up the sides of
the tube. The attraction of water molecules to other types of molecules is called adhesion. The
water molecules at the top are pulled up the tube and the water molecules below them are pulled
along because of their attraction to the water molecules above them. The attraction of water
molecules to each other is called cohesion. When plants have more water in their leaves than
they need, they get rid of this extra water through a process called transpiration. During
transpiration, water evaporates from holes in the surfaces of leaves (called stomata). As water
molecules evaporate from plant leaves, they attract the water molecules still in the plant, helping
to pull water up through the stems from the roots. The combination of transpiration and capillary
action delivers the water from the bottom to the top of the plant.

1. What type of tissue moves water upward in a plant stem? Xylem.

2. Name and explain 2 properties of water that enable it to move upward against gravity in a stem. Transpiration &
Capillary action.
3. What is transpiration and where does it occur in plants? Transpiration releases water from the leaves
of the plants; transpiration occurs in the stomata.

4. How does transpiration help the upward movement of water? Transpiration helps the upward movement of
water because when the leaves loose water it creates pressure which can pull food and water upwards.
5. If stomata on the leaves of a plant were closed or covered, would water move up the xylem? Explain.
No, because then the water from the plant couldn’t evaporate.

Read through the lab and create a hypothesis about what will happen to the flower (must be if, then):
If the experiment is set up correctly then the plant will show the tissue crossing and separating.

Materials and Equipment:

2 cups water
food coloring scissors
White flower paper clips
Procedure: :1
1. Fill two cups with water. Add several drops (at least 20) of food coloring to the water until a deep color
is achieved. Use a different color in each cup (you will end up with two different colors, one color in
each cup).
2. Cut the end of the stem of the plant. Cut the stem lengthwise (up the middle towards the flower so that the
stem is halved) approximately halfway up. Place one part of the stem in one cup and the other part of the
stem in another cup so that the two parts are immersed in two different colors. Use a paperclip to keep the
flower upright in the cups if needed. Set aside for at least 24 hours.
3. After 24-48 hours. return to your carnation. What do you observe?

Sketch what you observe below.

Sketch of carnation after experiment (use color!)
Sketch of carnation before
experiment

Conclusions
6. What tissue was under investigation in this lab (be specific!)? Xylem

7. Develop a statement to explain how the food coloring moves up the carnation (you should include the
type of tissue under investigation in your statement).
The food coloring moves up the carnation because it goes through the vascular. Therefore, causing the
colored water moving upward.

8. Do your observations of your carnation indicate that the tissue under investigation crosses or are
the tissues separate? Explain.
The tissues are separate, because first the colors stayed on the same side that it was applied, and the
celery did not cross.

9. What other vascular tissue moves material throughout the plant? The phloem. 6

10. Suggest a test that might reveal the other type of vascular tissue found in plants.
Do the test the exactly same except with a white flower.