Plants are one of the major forms of life on earth. They produce their food but cannot move about. Plants are a great source of oxygen, food and many other necessities of humans.
Plants have well-organized structures and are beautiful to look at. They are the producers of an ecosystem. They produce their own food known as ‘Glucose’ by a process known as Photosynthesis. Plants are of many kinds such as tree, shrubs, herbs and vines etc.
BENEFITS OF PLANTS TO HUMANS:
Plants are the main source of food for all living things. Many kinds of cereal, fruits, vegetables, nuts etc. Plants provide a valuable and fundamental diet for human consumption and animals plants provide many other essential items for living things some of them are as follows:
SHELTER:
Plants are made into materials used for building the interior and exterior of structures some of these materials are wood, timber, bamboo etc.
For example, residents of Thar desert in Pakistan utilize remnants of natural vegetation of this dry area which is classed as northwestern thorn scrub forest to build roofs of their huts which provide much needed shelter in the desert’s scorching heat and protects them from harsh weather throughout the year.
CLOTHING:
Most of the human clothing is made from materials that come directly or indirectly from plants such as cotton. Cotton is the main plant used in many fabric and textile industries.
Plants are a key source of clothing as they provide essential fibers that are turned into yarn and are used for making various types of cloths. Following are some of the notable kinds of plants that are a major source of fabric/clothing;
a) Cotton
Cotton is one of the most common and most used one might add, kind of fabric that is obtained from plants. The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt and India. The plant has been domesticated and is now grown in various parts of the world.
b) Flax
Fabric produced from flax plants is commonly known as ‘linen’ – a material which is widely used for making bed-sheets.
c) Hemp
Fiber obtained from hemp plants is used in manufacturing in clothing. Due to its versatility it is used for making clothes, shoes, accessories etc.
d) Ramie
It is one of the oldest plant that has been used as a ‘fiber crop’ for around 6,000 years. Today it is used as an industrial sewing thread.
OXYGEN:
Plants inhale carbon dioxide (exhaled by human beings) and exhale oxygen – the primary necessity of life for humans and animals. That’s why trees are called the ‘The Lungs of the Earth’.
MEDICINE:
It has been estimated that about 80% of all orthodox drugs originate from plants. Throughout history, plants have been of great importance to medicine. Aloe, Tulsi, Neem, Turmeric and Ginger are some of the most common plants known for their medicinal uses.
In conclusion, Plants are of great importance to every living organism and we should reduce the number of trees and plants we cut every day.