Leaves store starch

The idea

Plants store food as starch, a type of carbohydrate, which is produced in their leaves, generally broad and flat in shape.

Plants do not eat

Animals eat food. But plants do not eat food like animals do. Still, plants grow and need food.

In which part of a plant do you think its food is made?

• In its roots
• In its leaves
• In its flowers

Catch the sunlight

Switch on the sunlight. Try a broad, flat leaf and a leaf rolled up small. The white dots are starch.

Starch from the leaves

The broad, flat leaf catches a lot of sunlight. In the leaves the plant makes starch, a food that it can store.

Plants store food as starch, a type of carbohydrate, which is produced in their leaves, generally broad and flat in shape.

Notes

Plants store food as starch, a type of carbohydrate, which is produced in their leaves, generally broad and flat in shape.

Check yourself

In what form do plants store food?

Where is starch produced in a plant?

Starch is a type of …

What shape are leaves generally?

• As sunlight. Sunlight is energy that the leaf catches. It is not the food that is stored.
• As water. Water is needed by the plant, but it is not the food that the plant stores.
• As starch — correct. Yes! Starch is the food plants store.
• In its leaves — correct. Yes! Leaves produce the starch.
• In the air. The leaf makes starch. It is not made in the air.
• In the soil. The soil gives water and minerals, but starch is produced in the leaves.
• protein. Starch is a carbohydrate. Protein is a different nutrient.
• carbohydrate — correct. Yes! Starch is a carbohydrate.
• vitamin. Starch is a carbohydrate. Vitamins are different nutrients.
• Round like a ball. Leaves are generally broad and flat, not round like a ball.
• Thin and tall like a stick. Leaves are generally broad and flat, not like a stick.
• Broad and flat — correct. Yes! This shape helps them catch sunlight.