Identify the structure you are consuming when you eat each of the following vegetables. Match the words in the left column to the appropriate blanks in the sentences on the right. a. stem b. taprootc. lateral buds d. modified steme. leaf (petiole and blade)f. petiole 1. Asparagus 2. Brussels sprouts 3. Celery 4. Spinach 5. Carrot 6. Potato

A plant stem is one of the structural axes of vascular plants that holds structures such as leaves, flowers, and fruits. The stem also transports water and dissolved (organic and inorganic) nutrients between the roots and the shoots. In some plants, the stem is modified in order to carry out other functions (e.g., storage, vegetative propagation, protection, etc). Potatoes are modified stems (i.e., stem tubers) that are connected by small stem sections known as stolons, and serve as food storage organs. A taproot is a central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout, which can be used by the plant to store water and food (e.g., in carrots and turnips). Lateral buds or axillary buds are meristematic regions growing from the axils of the leaves at the intersection of the leaf and stem, below the terminal bud. Leaves are composed of the 1-blade, also known as the lamina, which is the largest part of the leaf, and 2-the petiole, which is a stalk that supports the blade and connects it to the plant stem. Celery petioles play the same functions as a plant stem by acting as transport and storage organs.