The Plant

Morphology
and Its
Organs
Roots
Flowers
Giant Rafflesia Flower
The giant rafflesia is the largest
flower in the world. It grows in
Southeast Asia. The flowers smell like
rotting meat to attract certain flies.
Seeds
Fruits
Stems
Leaves
 The Roots
Definition and
Structure
Origin of the Root
Kinds of Root System
Ways of Classifying
Roots
External and Internal
Parts
Internal Differences
between Young Root of a
Monocot and Dicot
Specialized types of
Roots
Roots are not in green color, it
has no nodes or no portions
where leaves or flower bud will
arise.
 Functions of the Roots
 Roots are mainly the process
of absorption of minerals and
water from the soil
 Anchorage of the plant to the
soil
Plants also have roots that
transport of materials by way
of the xylem and phloem vein
 Function:
Some roots are
under the process of
photosynthesis
Function:
Support and climbing
Function:
Specialized storage
of food
 Origin of the Root
HYPOCOTYL – the first
root of the seed plant
develops from a part
of the seed embryo
(earliest stage)
The hypocotyl
becomes the primary
or the first root of the
plant. Radicle is the
growing tip of the
hypocotyl
 Characteristics of the Roots
that Distinguish from the
Stem
 Roots grow
downward
into the soil.
 Roots do not have
nodes and
internodes.
 Roots branches
arise internally
from the pericycle.
(the outer layer of plant
tissue surrounding the
inner core of the roots
and stems of plants stele
that conducts moisture
and nutrients around the
plants)
The growing points of roots
are covered by root caps.
 Roots bear absorptive root
hairs close to the growing
tip.
 Roots do not produce
leaves and flowers.
 Roots do not have green
pigments except aerial
orchids species
Roots are usually crooked in
shape.
 Classification of Roots as
to their Origin
Primary roots – are
the roots derived
from the main trunk
Secondary roots –
roots that arise
from the primary
roots
 Tertiary/Rootlets
Adventitious roots – are roots
that grow out from bulbs,
rhizomes, tubers, margin of the
leaves, and from cuttings
 Root System
 The natural
aggregation of the
roots of a plants.
The entire mass of
underground root
produced by a
plant
 Kinds of Root System
1. Tap Root System-
has primary roots
which has persisted
and develops into
one which is bigger,
larger, and very
conspicous
structure in the root
system
2. Fibrous/ Diffuse root
System – is one in
which several roots
almost the same in
their sizes, primary
root is lost and
replaced by the
numerous adventitious
roots arising from the
lower part of the stem
Specialized or Modified Roots
1. Aerial roots – for climbing
2.Photosynthetic roots – the
roots can able to manufacture
foods through photosynthesis
 Contractile roots (bulb) – they
3.
bury the bulb deeper in the soil.
4. Storage roots – can stored food
like irish potato and sweet potato
5. Prop roots –
roots are found
on the stem such
as sugar cane,
corn and pandan
6. Parasitic roots – have a special structure
known as haustoria.
Haustoria – roots like projections which
attach themselves to host plant to get
food, mineral and water.
7. Butress – tropical trees
Longitudinal Section of a Young Root
1. Root cap region – a
timble shaped mass
of cells located at the
tip or the lowest part
of the root. The cells
of the root cap is
continuously broken
down, destroyed and
sloughed off.
2.Embryonic region/ Meristematic –
composed of small, cubical cells
with thin walls and dense
protoplasm. Actively dividing
region which contains the apical
meristems. New cells are formed
by mitosis
Longitudinal
Section of
the Root
Plant Tissues
3. Region of Elongation/ cell
enlargement – new protoplasm is
formed and vacuoles increase in
size. Cells in this region starts to
stretch and increase of their sizes
4. Regionof Maturation/Differentiation
– the cells attain their final structural
characteristics and are able to
performed their respective functions.
The enlarge cells become
differentiated into the mature tissues
of the root like the xylem and phloem
 In Dicot Plants the Region of
Maturation divided into three zones
1. Root hair zone – presence of
numerous root hairs
2. Zone of Primary Permanent Tissues
– derived from the apical meristems.
The primary tissues become fully
differentiated
3. Zone of secondary tissue (old) –
derived from lateral meristems or
cambia
In monocots, the region
of maturation consist
of only two zones: Root
hair zone and root
permanent tissues
Root hairs
 Internal Structure of the Root
1. Epidermis (dermal
region) – surface layer of
cells that produces root
hairs and absorptive
tissues. Protection on the
underlying tissues.
2. Cortex – located
beneath the
epidermis, and
composed of
parenchyma cells
that are large,
thin-walled and
cylindrical in form
3. Stele/
Vascular cylinder-
innermost layer. Xylem and
phloem are alternate in
arrangement consist of
pericycle, primary xylem
tissues, primary phloem and
vascular cambium
Internal Structure of the
Roots
 Internal Differences
between Young Root of a
Monocot and Dicot Plant
Dicot
Monocot
 With cambium layer
Without cambium
With small stele layer
Pith maybe present With a big stele
or absent
With pith
With fewer vascular
With more
bundles
vascular bundles
Roots
 3 Functions of root
 1. They anchor : the plant firmly in the
soil;
 2. They absorb water, minerals and
oxygen from the soil;
 3. They store energy reserves for the
plant in the form of starch