Roots-trailers: examples of plants

The root system is the vital organ of the plant, which performs many functions, the most important of which is supplying plants with moisture and useful substances and keeping them in the occupied place. In the process of plant development the roots were divided into main, accessory and lateral. And the conditions of existence contributed to the modification of the root system and the roots developed: tubers, respiratory, mycorrhizas, stilts and roots-hooks, each of which is called to perform specific functions.

Evolution

It is known that plants began their development from water. The first descendants to the land differed in a primitive structure and had neither shoots nor roots. They were a fleshy substance of a dense texture with a multitude of branches, some of which stretched upward, while others spread along the ground and were immersed in moisture with the necessary elements. Plants were provided with the necessary food and water, because they were small in size and grew near the source of moisture.

With further development, creeping processes began to penetrate into the ground and gave development to the first roots, which received a more saturated diet. The structure of plants began to rebuild, specialized tissues began to appear. Thanks to the formation of rootlets, the representatives of the flora became available to new territories remote from water, and they began to form powerful stems, looking to the sunlight.

Causes of root modification

In the conditions of increasing competition for free land, an active modification of the roots began with its own peculiarities, allowing a certain species to survive.

Roots are the main vegetative organs of plants, which never grow foliage and create branched root systems. All plants have roots, except for mosses, but they have different development in different groups.

Plants have different kinds of roots, which can be main, lateral and subordinate. Most representatives of the flora have underground root systems. But there are owners of roots of underwater (in duckweed) or air (in orchids).

Special attention should be paid to the roots-hooks, examples of which are represented by ivy, capsicum and other creeping species. And some of their brethren have chosen a parasitic way of survival. They were able to transform the roots-hooks into suckers, by means of which they are attached to other plants and feed at their expense.

Features of root-tracing

For any plant, sunlight is vitally important, so those that grow slowly are forced to adapt to get out of the shadow of their brethren. Root-hooks are a kind of subordinate rootlets, which are formed on the stems from the side of the support. Their main function is to keep shoots on different substrates and promote their progress. Roots penetrate into the crevices and cracks and fill the cavities, reliably holding the stems of the plant on the supports. And if on the way there is a smooth surface, then the tips of the lower roots widen and secrete an adhesive substance, through which they are firmly fixed on the plane, and the young continue searching for a new support. Thus, climbing plants slowly move towards their goal, taking the leaves to the light.

What functions are inherent in the root-hooks

In addition to the main root, climbing plants also require additional roots-hooks, whose functions are also invaluable.

1. Fixing. Through these rootlets, the plants are firmly retained on the occupied surface and crawled to the source of the light necessary for photosynthesis.
2. Suction. Roots pull the moisture out of the loose surface, and on the hard just collect and suck in the water.
3. The transmitting. The collected water and nutrient elements are transported to the plant tissues.
4. Saturation with oxygen. Due to the fact that the roots-hooks are located on the stems, they contribute to saturation of the body of the plant with oxygen. The root can not fully cope with this task, because the length of climbing plants can reach several tens of meters.
5. Sometimes microorganisms settle in rootlets, which in the process of their vital activity produce useful substances that enter through spines into plant shoots.
6. The accumulative function is poorly expressed due to the small size of the roots that physically can not hold a large amount of water and minerals, so they are immediately transferred to the stem.
7. Reproduction. If you separate a part of the shoot and put it in the soil to a new location, then the roots of the plant will become rooted, begin to develop, rebuild and take on the functions of the main root. Thus, representatives of the flora can quickly spread through the free territory and independently.

All these functions of the spines can be performed thanks to their structure, in which several zones are distinguished.

How are the roots-hooks arranged

If you cut the spine along and place it under the microscope, you can see that it has a non-uniform structure. It is customary to allocate several root zones, each of which is designed to perform its function. The root consists of:

• Root cover, which covers the young root, protecting it from the impact of the environment, facilitating the advancement and indicating the direction.
• Fission zones, in which the formation of new cells, providing growth of the root.
• The growth zone, the cells of which no longer divide, but stretch and push the tip of the root forward.
• Suction zone covered with root hairs. They are responsible for the absorption of water and nutrients.
• The conductive zone, which is formed by vessels and cells that promote the transfer of water and minerals to the stem and leaves, and also returns the organic matter that forms in the shoots and leaves.
• Zones of lateral roots, where branching begins.

Thanks to this structure, where each zone has its own functions, the plant receives everything necessary for further growth and development.

Examples

Plants that have roots-trailers, a real find for landscape design. They can profitably decorate the garden, without taking up much space, because they grow vertically and in free territory. Such plants are ideal for the design of arbors - they reliably hide from the sun, creating a shadow, and differ decorative, introducing into the pedestal their roots-hooks. Examples of plants climbing vertically: monstera, dicentra, campsis, girlish five-piece grapes, which are actively used to decorate the garden plot.

Climbing plants do not require special care, because they are able to self-extract moisture and nutrition, but they need regular pruning, otherwise they will quickly fill up all free space.