Roots - To know them is to Love them!!
Roots - To know them is to Love them!!
The root is usually the first organ which emerges from the seed. However, because roots spend most of their time below ground, they are understudied and underappreciated. So are the Rhizologists who slave away in anonymity trying to unlock the secrets of the root!!
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| A heavy rain washed away the thin soil layer that cover the roots in local rainforests. A close inspection shows that the soil is choked with roots that quickly absorb nutrients in the soil | Surface Root System from A Spruce Tree in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. This is only the Tip of the Ice Berg. |
Root systems can be as extensive or more extensive than Shoot systems.
Roots are generally non-photosynthetic. However, a few, like a small orchid I spotted in Puerto Rico, are capable of photosynthesis and in this particular case, the root is the major source of photosynthate. This orchid grows in an extremely dry (xeric) environment and does not produce leaves. A stem is only produced when flowering occurs and it is ephemeral (short-lived). The roots are decidedly green and they have velamen. The velamen may serve a protective and regulatory function with regard to water loss and photosynthesis. It may act like the large scales of Tillandsia, which are opaque when dry and translucent when wet.
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Tap root (Carrot) & Fibrous root systems (Scallion). |
A Tap Root has a dominant primary root and secondary (lateral) roots which are produced in a regular sequence. |
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Fibrous Root systems do not have a dominant Primary root. They have many principal roots which appear to be equivalent. Branching in a Fibrous Root system may appear to be be less organized than in a Tap Root system. |
| Some plants produce both kinds of root systems. Large "tap roots" penetrate to great depths in the soil while smaller, shallow roots spread horizontally. Consequently, these plants have the best of both worlds when it comes to accessing soil water. | |
