Vocabulary · Nature
Plants and flowers in English
A2
Plants and flowers in English: trees and plants, the most common flowers, the parts of a plant and the words you need in the garden. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Plants and trees
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| plant(n.)“I water my plants every day.” | a living thing that grows in soil | /plɑːnt/ |
| tree(n.) | a tall plant with a trunk | /triː/ |
| oak(n.) | a big tree that gives acorns | /əʊk/ |
| pine(n.) | a tree with needles that stays green | /paɪn/ |
| palm tree(n.) | a tropical tree with leaves at the top | /pɑːm triː/ |
| cactus(n.) | a desert plant with spines | /ˈkæktəs/ |
| bush(n.) | a small, low tree with many branches | /bʊʃ/ |
Flowers
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| flower(n.) | the coloured part of a plant | /ˈflaʊə/ |
| rose(n.) | a flower with a sweet smell and thorns | /rəʊz/ |
| tulip(n.) | a spring flower shaped like a cup | /ˈtjuːlɪp/ |
| daisy(n.) | a small white flower with a yellow centre | /ˈdeɪzi/ |
| sunflower(n.) | a tall yellow plant that follows the sun | /ˈsʌnflaʊə/ |
| lily(n.) | a large, elegant flower, often white | /ˈlɪli/ |
| orchid(n.) | an exotic flower with unusual shapes | /ˈɔːkɪd/ |
Parts of a plant
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| leaf(n.) | the flat green part of a plant | /liːf/ |
| leaves(n.) | the plural of leaf | /liːvz/ |
| root(n.) | the part of a plant under the ground | /ruːt/ |
| branch(n.) | an arm of a tree | /brɑːntʃ/ |
| stem(n.) | the thin part that holds a flower | /stem/ |
| petal(n.) | one coloured part of a flower | /ˈpetəl/ |
| seed(n.) | the small thing a new plant grows from | /siːd/ |
In the garden
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| garden(n.) | the land next to a house, with plants | /ˈɡɑːdən/ |
| grass(n.) | the thin green plants of a lawn | /ɡrɑːs/ |
| to water(v.) | to give plants something to drink | /ˈwɔːtə/ |
| to plant(v.) | to put a seed in the ground | /plɑːnt/ |
| to grow(v.) | to get bigger | /ɡrəʊ/ |
A common mistake
Leafs ❌: say leaves
Leaf has an irregular plural: leaves. Many nouns in -f or -fe change to -ves: wolf → wolves, life → lives. But not all of them: roof → roofs.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Plants and flowers
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is it leaves and not leafs?+
Many nouns that end in -f or -fe make their plural with -ves: leaf → leaves, wolf → wolves, life → lives, knife → knives. It is a spelling rule, but there are exceptions: roof → roofs.
How do you describe a garden in English?+
Use There is or There are: There are roses, sunflowers and two trees in my garden. You can also say My garden has a lot of flowers. Useful verbs: to plant (to put a seed or a plant in the ground), to water (to give water) and to grow (to get bigger).
What are the parts of a plant?+
The main parts are the root, the stem, the leaf, the branch, the flower, the petal and the seed. The life cycle goes like this: seed → plant → flower → seed.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/plants-and-flowers
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.