How do Plants know which way to Grow?
What's Going On?
Plants contain a chemical called auxin. Auxin causes plant cells to grow elongated. The auxin is more dense than the other chemicals in the plant and gravity pulls the auxin downward. At the bottom of the main stem, there is a buildup of auxin. The cells grow longer where the auxin buildup and this causes the stem to turn upwards.
Copyright © 1997 Kathy A. Miles and Charles F. Peters II