Stem Stories

The stems of Barrel cacti
expand to hold the rain.
They store each drop of water,
for when it's dry again.
The stretched-out stems are shrouded
in long and pointy spikes.
These act as a defence,
and shade the stem when hot sun strikes.

A Bamboo stem is hollow,
and shoots towards the sky.
It doesn’t waste time growing leaves,
until it’s way up high.
The woody stems are sturdy,
and used for many things;
From scaffolding and ladders,
to clothes and violins.

Sweet pea stems are flimsy,
they cannot get much height.
They search for things to cling to,
so, they can reach the light.
Their tiny tendrils feel for
strong stalks to curl around.
If not, they'd just keel over,
and never leave the ground.

The stem of a Sequoia tree,
grows tallest of them all.
These giant redwood trunks
soar up to eighty metres tall.
The bark-encrusted stems
can last around three thousand years.
There aren't too many left now,
so, it's feared extinction nears.

The purpose of a stem is to
connect the leaves and roots.
They come in many forms,
some standalone, some bear big fruits.
Some grow along the ground,
some barely show, some tower tall.
There's no doubt that without them,
WE would not be here at all.