Plant Life Forms

Title: Plant Life Forms

AIM: To recognise plant life forms and to find out how they help plants to become weed.

Many people think of weeds as herbs or grasses but they can also be trees, shrubs, creepers, climbers, bulbs or aquatics. Different life forms can often tell us about the sort of effects weeds have. For example, weedy trees and shrubs can cast so much shade nothing can grow underneath them. Climbers can weigh down and strangle other vegetation. Aquatic weeds can use up so much oxygen that other water creatures cannot breathe.

Some life forms of weeds include:

Grasses and herbs that are small plants and do not form woody stems
Shrubs are woody plants usually less than 3 m high
Trees are woody plants usually more than 3 m high
Creepers are plants that put out underground or above ground runners that enable them to spread rapidly over the ground
Climbers are plants that use tendrils or other special plant parts to climb over other plants or structures such as fences and walls
Bulbs, tubers and corms are plants which grow from a bulb-like organ that lies under the ground
Aquatic plants may be free floating or anchored and require a water body for some or all of their lives.

You should add these definitions to your weed glossary when you have time.

Look at some pictures of weeds and inspect some weeds outside. How might the life forms of these plants help them to be weeds? Complete the chart by ticking the effects you think particular life forms might have. There will probably be more than one effect for each life form.

Effect Life Form	Takes up space	Produces heavy shade	Climbs over and strangles other plants	Clogs up waterways	Drops leaves that are poisonous to other plants
Grasses and Herbs
Shrubs
Creepers and Climbers
Water weeds
Trees
Bulbs, corms and tubers

Source

Effect

Takes up space
Produces heavy shade
Climbs over and strangles other plants
Clogs up waterways
Drops leaves that are poisonous to other plants
Grasses and herbs
Shrubs
Creepers and climbers
Water weeds
Trees
Bulbs, corms and tubers

referenced by (1)

WeedBuddiesContent7: WeedBuddies Activities Contents

Article: WeedBuddiesContent28 (permalink)
Date: 31 January 2013; 9:15:27 PM AEDT

Author Name: Zheljana Peric
Author ID: zper12