So you thought only parents keep their children grounded. Roots do for plants what parents do for their kids. The roots help plants in anchoring them to the soil. They also serve as transport systems, allowing the plant to suck up water and dissolved minerals from the soil that it needs to grow.

Some plants can store food in roots in the form of carbohydrates (sugars and starches). The roots not only help the plants but also help in making new soil. They crush the stones underground which later turns into soil.

The root system is mainly of two kinds-

• Taproot, first root produced from a seed is called the radicle, this enlarges and becomes the most prominent root of the plant and is known as a tap root. Many smaller branch roots may grow from the tap root. Image Source (howstuffworks.com).
• Fibrous,  the radicle is short lived and is replaced by numerous roots of more or less equal size. Grasses mostly have fibrous roots.

Fun facts

Parsnips, Beet, Sweet Potato, Turnips and Carrots are some roots that we eat as vegetables.