What is Root?
{{about|the roots of plants|other meanings|Root (disambiguation)}} [[File:Coriander roots.JPG|thumb|230px|[[Coriander]] roots]] [[File:Wurzeln am Berghäuser Altrhein, Speyerer Auwald.JPG|thumb|230px|Exposed roots]] [[File:PohutuAerialroot03.jpg|thumb|230px|The aerial root of a young Pōhutukawa tree (''Metrosideros excelsa''), Mount [[Wellington]], [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]]] [[File:Bali Barat mangroves.jpg|thumb|230px|Mangroves in West [[Bali]] [[National Park]], [[Indonesia]]. Notice the aerial roots]] The '''roots''' of a [[plant]] is the part that is usually buried in the [[soil]]. Roots are usually always under the soil, though–sometimes roots can be above the ground. This is called an [[aerial root]]. Also, [[Plant stem|stems]] can sometimes be under the soil ([[potato]]es, for example). Roots do not have [[leaf|leaves]], and are different from stems inside. Plants need their roots especially for three reasons: The roots take [[water]] and [[nutrients]], a sort of [[food]], from the soil. They also often store this food. And they [[wikt:fix|fix]] the plants to the [[ground]]. However, most plant roots do not work at their best unless they have help from [[fungi]]. The symbiosis between roots and fungus is known as [[mycorrhiza]].<ref>Brundrett M.C. 2002. Coevolution of roots and mycorrhizas of land plants. ''New phytologist'' '''154'''(2): 275-304. [https://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00397.x DOI] | [http://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00397.x Abstract] | [http://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00397.x Full text (HTML)] | [http://www.newphytologist.org/Brundrett.pdf Full text (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041105155820/http://www.newphytologist.org/Brundrett.pdf |date=2004-11-05 }}</ref> There are two sorts of '''root''' systems: * the taproot system: there is one very big root that goes down into the ground, and many smaller roots that come out of it * the diffuse root system: there are many roots that go in all directions Some roots go very deep into the ground