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Lesson 12 Transport in Plants

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A Visual of Water Movement


Background Information

We know water moves from the roots to the leaves of plants, but can we see it? This activity will give you a visual of how water moves in plants and will help you see the xylem. Both of these activities will require you to gather materials from your home or a store. These are not mandatory activities but are a great addition if you can do them. There are videos for each activity if you cannot complete them otherwise.

  1. Collect two small vases or cups, a sharp knife, food colouring and one white carnation with a fairly long stem.
  2. Fill the two small vases or cups with water. Add a couple of drops of food colouring to one vase or cup.
  3. Using the sharp knife, very carefully split the stem down the middle.
  4. Place one half of the stem in the clear water vase and the other half in the coloured water.
  5. Leave the carnation for a couple of days before observing the results.
  6. Please click on Procedure 2 to complete the next experiment.



©YouTube, Sick Science!

Colour Changing Carnations
  1. Collect a stalk of celery with leaves on the top, food colouring, and a water glass.
  2. Fill the cup about half full with water and add a few drops of food colouring.
  3. Cut the bottom end off the celery and place it in the coloured water.
  4. Leave the celery in the water for a couple of days before observing the results. Make sure you observe what happens to the leaves of the stalk and what the bottom of the celery looks like.
  5. You can complete this experiment with other vegetables as well!
  6. Please click on the analysis tab to complete the analysis questions.


©YouTube MUNBotnicalGarden

Celery Straws – A Growing Experiment
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  1. Explain the results of the carnation experiment.
Half of the carnation stayed white while the other half turned the colour of the food colouring. This happened because the xylem on the stem in the food colouring absorbed the food colouring as well as the water. This food colouring was transported up the stem into the flower through transpiration pull, dying the half of the flower that got its water from that half of the stem. This shows how water moves up the stem of the flower and how the xylem only takes water to part of the plant. Each xylem tissue takes water to a specific end point; it does not take water all over the plant.

  1. What part of the celery is dyed darker when you look at the bottom of the stalk?
The xylem was dyed darker. This is because the xylem is what transported the water up the celery stalk, so it had the most exposure to the dye.