See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

ROOT (See also:

• LATE

late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, See also:

• DAN

Dan. See also:

• ROD (O.E. rodd, probably related to Norw. rudda, stick, rodda, stake)
• ROD, EDOUARD (1857-1910)

rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in See also:

• LAT

Lat. radix)  , the underground See also:

• PART

part of a plant . This is the popular meaning of the word . In its botanical use the See also:

• TERM

term is more restricted (see below) . The various other meanings have all See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed from this, its See also:

• PRIMARY

primary, significance . Of these the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal are: the source or origin of a See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition, See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state, quality, &c.; the See also:

• BASE

base or embedded part of a structure of the See also:

• BODY

body, such as a See also:

• NAIL (O. Eng. naegal, cf. Dutch, Ger., Swed. nagel; the word is also related to Lat. unguis, Gr. ovu, Sans. nakhas)

nail, tooth, the See also:

• HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair, &c.; in See also:

• MATHEMATICS (Gr. /saBnµar1Kil, Sc. vOcvn or E7rlQTt'µn; from p iN.La, "learning" or "science ")

mathematics, a number, quantity or See also:

• DIMENSION (from Lat. dimensio, a measuring)

dimension which produces a given expression when multiplied by itself a requisite number of times; and in See also:

• PHILOLOGY

philology an ultimate See also:

• ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element of See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language, incapable of further See also:

• ANALYSIS (Gr. avci and Meta, to break up into parts)

analysis . A particular See also:

• EXTENSION (Lat. ex, out ; tendere, to stretch)

extension of the primary meaning is that which applies the word generally to a class of See also:

• PLANTS

plants, such as the See also:

• TURNIP

turnip or See also:

• CARROT

carrot, whose See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

root is fleshy, and edible either by See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man or domestic animals . The embryo of a. typical plant, for instance a See also:

• PEA (Pisum)

pea plant (fig . I), has an ascending See also:

• AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

axis which will grow into the shoot, and a descending axis or radicle which will grow into the root. y When the See also:

• SEED (from the root seen in Lat. serere, to sow)

seed germinates, the radicle is the first to appear; it grows downwards, and its primary See also:

• FUNCTION

function is to See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act as a holdfast for the plant; its most important function, however, is the absorption of See also:

• WATER

water and . r.—The Dicotyledonous dissolved nutrient substances FIC Embryo of the Pea laid open. from the See also:

• SOIL

soil, and it also frec, c, the two fleshy coty- quently serves for storage of foodledons, or seed-lobes, which stuffs . The root is distinguished remain under ground when from underground shoots by not the plant sprouts; r, the bearing leaves and by having radicular extremity of the axis which develops into its See also:

• APEX

apex (growing point) See also:

• PRO

pro-the root; 1, the axis bearing tected by a cap (root-cap), which the See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young stalk and leaves can be clearly seen by makg, which See also:

• LIE, JONAS LAURITZ EDEMIL (1833—1908)
• LIE, MARIUS SOPHUS (1842–1899)

lie in a depression See also:

• ING

ing a median See also:

• VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest point)

vertical See also:

• SECTION
• SECTION (Lat. sectio, cutting, secare, to cut)

section of the cotyledons f . through the root-tip; the cap protects it in its passage through the soil . The root also generally bears root-hairs, slender unicellular outgrowths of the See also:

• OUTER

outer layer, See also:

• BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne in the region a little behind the root-tip . It is by means of the root - hairs especially that the root is brought into See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close relation with the soil particles and absorbs the nutrient materials in See also:

• SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution in the water which surrounds these particles .

The older root-hairs are continually dying off, so that they are borne only on a small part of the See also:

• AREA

area behind the apex . Branches of the root, which repeat the See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form and structure of the See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main root, are developed in See also:

• REGULAR

regular See also:

• SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession from above downwards (acropetal), and owing to the fact that they originate in a definite position in the interior of the root (endogenous) they develop in See also:

• LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal rows and have to break through the overlying See also:

• TISSUE (Fr. tissu, tissue, participle of tisser, Lat. texere, to weave)

tissue of the See also:

• PARENT, SIMON NAPOLEON (1855– )

parent root (fig . 2) . True forking of the root (See also:

• DICHOTOMY (Gr. bLya, apart, TEµvew, to cut)

dichotomy) occurs in the Lycopodiaceae (the shoots of which also See also:

• BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch dichotomously), but is unknown in the higher plants . Roots which originate elsewhere than as acropetal out. growths of a main root are known as See also:

• ADVENTITIOUS (from Lat. adventicius, coming from abroad)

adventitious, and may From See also:

• GREEN, A
• GREEN, ALEXANDER HENRY (1832—1896)
• GREEN, DUFF (1791—1875)
• GREEN, JOHN RICHARD (1837—1883)
• GREEN, MATTHEW (1696-1737)
• GREEN, THOMAS HILL (1836-1882)
• GREEN, VALENTINE (1739–1813)
• GREEN, WILLIAM HENRY (.1825–1900)

Green's See also:

• VEGETABLE

Vegetable See also:

• PHYSIOLOGY (from Gr. 4 i s, nature, and koyos, discourse)

Physiology, by permission . Root-hair in contact with See also:

• PAR (Lat. par, equal)

par- ( Ultimate root-branches, showing tides of soil (highly magnified). position of root-hairs . arise on any part of a plant . They are especially numerous on underground stems, such as the under See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of rhizomes, and also develop from See also:

• STEM (O. Eng. staefn, stemn, cf. Du. stain, Ger. Stamm, &c., probably related to " staff ")

stem nodes under favourable conditions, such as moisture and See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of See also:

• LIGHT

light; a young shoot or a cutting placed in moist soil quickly forms adventitious roots . They may also arise from leaves under similar conditions, as, for instance, from See also:

• BEGONIA (named from M. Begon, a French patron of botany)

begonia leaves when planted in soil . The forms of roots depend on their shape and mode of branching . When the central axis goes deep into the ground in a tapering manner, without dividing, a tap-root is produced . This See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of root is some-times shortened, and becomes swollen by storage of See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food-stuffs, forming the conical root of carrot, or the fusiform or spindle-shaped root of See also:

• RADISH

radish, or the napiform root of turnip .

In See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary See also:

• FOREST

forest trees the first root protruded continues to elongate and forms a See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long primary root-axis, whence secondary axes come off . In primary plants, especially Monocotyledons, the primary axis soon See also:

• DIES, CHRISTOPH ALBERT (1755-1822)

dies and the secondary axes take its See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place . When the descending axis is very See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short, and at once divides into thin, nearly equal fibrils, the root is called fibrous, as in many See also:

• GRASSES

grasses (fig . 4) ; when the fibrils are thick and succulent, the root is fasciculated, as in See also:

• RANUNCULUS

Ranunculus Ficaria, Asphodelus luteus, and 0enanthe crocata; when some of the fibrils are developed in the form of tubercules, the root is tubercular, as in See also:

• DAHLIA

dahlia (fig . 5) ; when the fibrils enlarge in certain parts only, the root is-nodulose, as in Spiraea Filipendula, or moniliform, as in Pelargonium triste, or annulated, as in See also:

• IPECACUANHA

Ipecacuanha . Some of these so-called roots are formed of a stem and root combined, as in Orchis (fig . 6), where the tuber consists of a fleshy swollen From Vines's Student's permission . See also:

• BOTANY (from Gr. l3or6v17, plant; ,66vicety, to graze)

Botany, by -/ From Strasburger's Lehrbuch der Botanik, by per- See also:

• MISSION

mission of Gustav See also:

• FISCHER
• FISCHER, EMIL (1852– )
• FISCHER, ERNST KUNO BERTHOLD (1824–1907)

Fischer . root bearing at the apex a stem bud . As in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of the stem, growth in length occurs only for a short distance behind the apex, but in long-lived roots increase in See also:

• DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter occurs continually in a similar manner to growth in thickness in the stem . Roots are usually underground and See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour-less, but in some cases where they arise from the stem they pass for some distance through the See also:

• AIR (from an Indo-European root meaning " breathe," " blow ")
• AIR, or ASBEN

air before reaching the soil . Such roots are called aerial .

They are well seen in the See also:

• SCREW (O.E. scrue, from O. Fr. escroue, mod. ecrou; ultimate origin uncertain; the word, or a similar one, appears in Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Schraube, Dan. skrue, but Skeat, following Diaz, finds the origin in Lat. scrobs, a ditch, hole, particularl

screw-See also:

• PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine (Pandanus), the See also:

• BANYAN, or BANIAN (an Arab corruption, borrowed by the Portuguese from the Sanskrit vanij, " merchant ")

Banyan (Ficus indica, fig . 7), and many other See also:

• SPECIES

species of Ficus, where they assist in supporting the stem and branches . In the See also:

• MANGROVE

mangrove they often form the entire support of the stem, which has decayed at its See also:

• LOWER

lower part . In See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree-ferns they form a dense coating around, and completely concealing, the stem; such is also the case in some Dracaenas and palms . In . Epiphytes, or plants growing in the air, attached to the trunks of trees, such as See also:

• ORCHIDS

orchids of warm climates, the aerial roots produced Fin . 6.-Base of do not reach the soil; they continue always plant of On-his, aerial and greenish, and they possess stomata. showing tuber- Delicate hairs are often seen on these epicules or tuberous Phytal roots, as well as a See also:

• PECULIAR

peculiar spongy roots. investment formed by the cells of the epi- dermis which have lost their succulent See also:

• CON

con-tents and are now filled with air . This layer is called the velamen, and serves to condense the moisture contained in the air, on which aerial roots, which reach the soil, and prop the branches . the plant is dependent for its water-See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply . The aerial roots of the See also:

• IVY (A.S. ifig, Ger. Epheu, perhaps connected with apium, anent)

ivy are not the nutritive roots of the plant, but are only intended for See also:

• MECHANICAL

mechanical support . The climbing roots of many orchids, aroids and epiphytic ferns branch and form places of lodgment for humus into which absorbent branches of the climbing roots penetrate . Some leafless epiphytic orchids, such as species of Angraecum, depend entirely upon their aerial roots for nourishment; the roots, which are green, perform the functions both of leaves and roots .

A See also:

• RESPIRATORY

respiratory or aerating function is performed by roots of certain mangroves growing in swampy soil or water and sending vertical roots up into the air which are provided with aerating passages by which the root See also:

• SYSTEM

system below can communicate with true outside air . Parasitic plants, as the mistletoe (Viscum), See also:

• BROOM

broom-See also:

• RAPE
• RAPE (from Lat. rapere, to seize)
• RAPE (Lat. rapum or rapa, turnip)

rape (Orobanche) and Raflesia, send root-like processes into the substance of the plants whence they derive nourishment . In the See also:

• DODDER (Frisian dodd, a bunch; Dutch dot, ravelled thread)

dodder (Cuscuta) , the tissue around the root swells into a kind of sucker (haustorium), which is applied See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat upon the other plant, and ultimately becomes See also:

• CONCAVE

concave, so as to attach the plant by a vacuum . From the bottom of the sucker the root protrudes, and penetrates the tissue of the See also:

• HOST

host plant . See also:

• LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

Leaf-buds are sometimes formed on roots, as in See also:

• PLUM

plum, See also:

• CHERRY

cherry and other See also:

• FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit trees; the See also:

• COMMON

common See also:

• ELM

elm affords an excellent example, the young shoots which grow up in the neighbourhood of a tree arising from the roots beneath the soil . In some plants no roots are formed at all; thus in the orchid Corallorhiza, known as See also:

• CORAL

coral-root, a stem-structure, the shortly branched underground rhizome, performs all the functions of a true root which is absent . In aquatic plants the root acts merely as a holdfast or is altogether absent as in Salvinia, Utricularia and others .