Fresh white carnation
A glass
Dark green food colouring
Scissors
Wooden spoon
A grown up (they feel really left out if you don't ask them to help!)
What to do ...
Pour about 4cm of water into the glass.
Ask the grown up to help you add the food colouring to the water and stir with the wooden spoon. The water should be dark green. If it isn't, you need to add more food colouring.
Ask the grown up to help you cut off 2cm from the bottom of the carnation stem.
Put the carnation into the glass of coloured water and leave it on a sunny window sill for a day or two.
You will notice ...
Your white carnation has turned green!
Why?
The stem of the carnation is full of very narrow tubes called xylem (say "zy-lum"). These tubes carry water to all parts of the flower, including the petals.
So if you make the water green, then you end up with green petals!
