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    Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants

    Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany

    Search

    Economic Plant Illustrations #30

    Botany 115 Vegetative TerminologyModified Roots, Stems and Leaves (Part 1)

    Go To Vegetative Terminology Part 2

    Go To Vegetative Terminology Part 3

    Types Of Subterranean Roots

    A.Fibrous root system of rip-gut grass (Bromus diandrus). B.Tap root of a

    carrot (Daucus carota). C.Fascicled (clustered) storage roots of sweet

    potato (Ipomoea batatas). Note: The sweet potato storage root is not a

    modified stem as in the potato tuber; however, it is often referred to as a

    tuberous root.

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    Fascicled storage roots of smilax asparagus (Asparagus asparagoides). The

    roots are also referred to as "tuberous" by some botanical authorities.

    See The Edible Taproots Of A Carrot

    See Storage Roots Called Sweet Potatoes

    Adventitious Roots Arising From Stems

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    Left:Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) growing in seawater along the

    shoreline of St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands). The adventitious prop roots help

    to support and securely anchor this shrub in the mud and loose sand of tidal

    waters. Right:Close-up view of prop roots showing numerous pores called

    lenticels which provide gas exchange and an additional source of oxygen forthe submersed roots.

    Mangroves survive in seawater with a salinity that would be lethal to most

    trees and shrubs. Like celery or carrot sticks placed in saltwater, the roots of

    most plants rapidly lose water if they are suddenly emersed in seawater.

    Halophytes (salt-loving plants) such as mangroves generally have a lower

    concentration of water molecules (lower water potential) in their root cells

    so they can take in water. They maintain lower water potentials in their roots

    by having higher internal salt concentrations than seawater and by losing

    water at the leaf surface. Since high internal salt concentrations can be lethalto plant cells, some species such as the black mangrove and white mangrove

    (Laguncularia racemosa) can excrete excess salt through special glands in

    their leaf blades and petioles. Red mangroves have root cell membranes

    which prevent the absorption of excess salt.

    Left:The creeping fig (Ficus pumila), a remarkable Asian vine that is

    commonly cultivated in southern California. There are two distinct types of

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    stem growth: Young, juvenile branches and older, mature branches. The

    juvenile branches (with smaller leaves) produce aerial roots that adhere to

    concrete, stucco, masonry and even glass windows. Without pruning, a

    single plant can envelop a four-story building. The aerial roots secrete a

    clear, gummy latex that works like rubber cement. This remarkable adhesivewas first described in detail by Charles Darwin in his book The Movements

    and Habits of Climbing Plants(1876). Older, mature branches with larger

    leaves produce fleshy, flower-bearing syconia. In fact, this species has been

    crossed with the edible fig (F. carica) to produce a hybrid vine (F. x

    pumila-carica) with edible syconia.Right:Close-up view of the aerial roots

    (red arrow) that develop at the nodes on juvenile branches. The roots secrete

    a gummy adhesive that adheres to concrete, masonry and glass. This species

    is commonly planted in southern California to cover the monotanous

    concrete walls of buildings and freeways.

    Grass Jelly From Creeping Fig & Mesona (Lamiaceae)

    In China, the syconia of creeping figs are picked ripe and placed in a porous

    bag to squeeze out the juice. The juice is cooked and then cooled into a

    gelatinous consistency called "pai-liang-fen." This jellylike material is

    cubed, mixed with water, syrup and flavorings and consumed as a refreshing

    drink. It is canned and sold in Asian markets as "grass jelly" of "ai-yu jelly."

    According to Cornucopia IIby S. Facciola (Kampong Publications, 1998),

    boiled plants of Mesona chinensisin the mint family (Lamiaceae) are also

    made into cubes of grass jelly. In fact, cans of grass jelly often list this

    species on the labels.

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    Aerial roots of the strangler fig (Ficus citrifolia) wrapped around the trunk

    and limbs of a swamp tree called "wing-nut" (Pterocarpus officinalis) on

    the island of Dominica. The Caribbean island of Barbados is supposedly

    named for this species of strangler fig whose abundant aerial roots give it a

    "bearded" appearance.

    See The Many Prop Roots Of Pandanus

    See The Adventitious Roots Of Poison Oak

    See Aerial Roots Of Strangler Figs & Banyans

    Adventitious Stems Forming Giant Aspen Clones

    Pneumatophores: Aerial Extensions From Roots

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    Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) along the eastern shore of the

    Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The slender, erect outgrowths from the roots

    are called pneumatophores. The porous pneumatophores enable the water-

    logged roots to carry on gas exchange with the atmosphere. Unlike

    positively geotrophic roots, the pneumatphores (called "aerial roots") are

    negatively geotrophic and grow upward out of the mud and away from

    gravity. Black mangrove belongs to the verbena family (Verbenaceae).

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    Tea mangrove (Pelliciera rhizophorae) growing along the Pacific coast of

    Costa Rica. The buttressed trunk contains numerous lenticels (red circle)

    which fascilitate gas exchange with the atmosphere while the roots are

    submerged in water-logged mud. The unusual, top-shaped fruit of tea

    mangrove (below red circle) is the size of a onion and contains one of the

    largest seeds in the world (excluding palms). It floats with the elongate,

    embryonic root pointing downward, and readily becomes implanted in soft

    mud. This mangrove is a member of the tea family (Theaceae).

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    A swamp of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) in the Florida Everglades.

    The erect, woody extensions from the roots are called "cypress knees" or

    pneumatophores. Some botanists maintain that pores in the "knees"

    fascilitate gas exchange between the water-logged roots and the atmosphere,

    although other botanists disagree with this theory. When photographing

    cypress knees it is wise to be aware of nearby alligators basking along the

    water's edge.

    More About The Drift Fruits Of Mangroves

    Lignotubers Of Chaparral Shrubs

    Many species of dominant shrubs in fire-climax plant communities, such as thechaparral and coastal sage scrub, develop from enlarged, woody, subterranean stems

    called basal burls or lignotubers. Adventitious buds embedded in these woody stems

    resprout following fire, thus enabling the shrub to survive periodic brush fires. The

    presence or absence of a distinct lignotuber is one of the major keys to the

    identification of species of manzanita (Arcotostaphylos) in the southern California

    chaparral and pine forests. For example, Mexican manzanita (A. pungens), Cuyamaca

    manzanita (A. pringleissp. drupacea), Otay manzanita (A. otayensis), and bigberry

    manzanita (A. glauca) do not stump sprout from a lignotuber. Peninsular manzanita

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    (A. peninsularis) and subspecies of A. glandulosa, including Eastwood manzanita

    (ssp. glandulosa), Del Mar manzanita (ssp. crassifolia) and Laguna manzanita

    (ssp. adamsii), all resprout from well-developed basal burls.

    Left: Lignotuber of chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), a common shrub

    in the chaparral of southern California. Right: Charred branches of chamisewith bright green resprouts from the subterranean lignotuber. The intense

    heat of the fire caused the blackened granodiorite boulders to exfoliate into

    thin flakes.

    Ashes To Wildflowers: Post-Burn Succession)

    Types Of Subterranean Stems

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    Two examples of scaly, underground stems called rhizomes. A.Rhizome of

    achira (Canna edulis). B.Rhizome of the common sword fern

    (Nephrolepis exaltata).

    See The Edible Rhizome Of Achira (Canna edulis)

    A.Bulb of an onion (Allium cepa). B.Corm of gladiolus

    (Gladiolushybrid). The bulb is an upright subterranean stem surrounded by

    overlapping, fleshy scales. The corm is an underground stem without

    overlapping scales or with only a few scales.

    See The Edible Bulbs Of Onions And Leeks

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    The root system and tubers of a potato plant (Solanum tuberosum). The

    potato tuber is technically a modified underground stem produced at the

    tip of a rhizome. The "eyes" of the potato are actually buds.

    Go To Wayne's Word Article About Potatoes

    See Dioscorea Yam: World's Largest Vegetable

    Stolon: A Creeping, Aboveground Stem

    A stolon or runner of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon). The stolon is an

    above-ground, trailing stem that typically produces roots at the nodes where

    leaves and stems arise. This very invasive, perennial grass also produces

    creeping, underground stems called rhizomes. Another plant that spreads by

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    means of stolons is the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa).

    Gross Stem Anatomy & Leaf Arrangement

    Left:Five years of growth on the stem of a deciduous flowering tree. The

    vascular bundle scar (trace) is within the leaf scar (place where leaf was

    attached). The lateral bud is located just above the attachment scar of the

    leaf. Right:Three different leaf arrangements: Alternate (one leaf per node),

    opposite (two leaves per node) and whorled (three or more leaves per node).

    A node is the place where one or more leaves are attached along the stem.

    The area between nodes is called the internode.

    Caudiciform Plants With An Enlarged Caudex

    In his beautifully illustrated book Caudiciform and Pachycaul

    Succulents(1987), Gordon Rowley summarizes three main types of enlarged

    stems, including succulent, caudiciform and pachycaul stems. In succulent

    stems, the stems are typically photosynthetic and covered with protective

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    spines. This adaptation is widespread in the cactus family (Cactaceae) and

    euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae); two classic examples of convergent

    evolution where unrelated plants from distant continents have developed very

    similar adaptations for living in arid deserts. Caudiciform plants generally have

    an enlarged basal caudex or stem axis from which the stems and roots arise.The caudex may extend below the ground, is typically non-photosynthetic and

    often gives rise to slender, twining stems. It generally does not include plants

    with bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tubers. This ingenious adaptation is well

    developed in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). In fact, the wild cucumber vine

    (Marah macrocarpus) that climbs over shrubs in the chaparral and coastal

    sage scrub of California develops from a tuberous, subterranean caudex that

    may weigh up to 100 pounds. One of the reasons the wild fig of Baja

    California (Ficus palmeri) is able to establish itself on boulders and vertical

    canyon walls is its remarkable caudiciform seedling stage. With a food and

    water reserve in the bulbous stem base, the roots can grow considerabledistances in search of moisture. The effectiveness of this strategy is readily

    apparent when you gaze at the remarkable locations of these figs trees.

    With the onset of spring, Jatropha

    berlandierisprouts from a large,

    globose caudex. This is a

    caudiciform plant adapted to

    prolonged periods of drought. It

    belongs to the diverse euphorbiafamily (Euphorbiaceae).

    Caudiciform plants can store water

    and survive many months without

    rain in hot, arid desert regions.

    They include some of the most

    remarkable and truly bizarre plants

    on earth.

    A third category called pachycaul plants includes massive, non-photosynthetic,

    spineless trunks tapering upward into stout branches. This category is very evident

    in desert regions, especially the elephant tree (Bursera microphylla) and the

    remarkable Cyphostemma juttae, a poisonous member of the grape family

    (Vitaceae) native to Africa.

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    Alula (Brighamia insignis), a rare member of the lobelia family

    (Campanulaceae) endemic to steep sea cliffs on the island of Kauai. As of the

    year 2000, fewer than 100 of these remarkable pachycaul plants grew in the

    wild. Like the California condor, this unique species has been brought backfrom the brink of extinction through breeding programs at botanical gardens.

    Alulu is perfectly adapted for living on vertical volcanic cliffs. A single rosette

    of leaves arise from the top of a thick, succulent stem, like a cabbage head on a

    baseball bat. The rosette varies in size relative to the stem, depending on the

    availability of moisture. Roots penetrate the cliffs horizontally, and the base of

    the plant is rounded, permitting the plant to rock slightly in the wind. Water

    stored in the stem enables the plant to survive periods of drought which may

    last days or weeks. Another rare species with white flowers (B. rockii) grows

    on sea cliffs along the windward coast of Molokai. Like Hawaii's endemic

    silver sword alliance that evolved from an ancestral tarweed (Asteraceae), thealulu is another example of adaptive radiation in the lobeliads. Unlike the

    silver swords, the lobeliads evolved from several ancestral introductions rather

    than a single ancestral colonization. For more information please refer to

    (Hawaii: A Natural History by Sherwin Carlquist (Pacific Tropical Botanical

    Garden, 1980).

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    The Massive Woody Caudex Of Turtleback Plant

    The Massive, Tuberous Caudex Of Wild Cucumber

    See The Welwitschia Plant From The Namib Desert

    The Massive Pachycaul Trunk Of An Elephant Tree

    The Massive Pachycaul Trunk Of The Baobab Tree

    Armstrong, W.P. 1999. Make Way For Fat

    Stemmed Plants. Zoonooz72 (8): 26-31

    Return To Economic Plant Families Page

    Return To WAYNE'S WORD Home Page

    Return To NOTEWORTHY PLANTS Page

    Go To Biology GEE WHIZ TRIVIA Page

    Go To The LEMNACEAE ON-LINE Page

    All text material & images on these pages copyright W.P. Armstrong

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