pneumatophore

root system

Learn about this topic in these articles:

mangrove

  • mangrove roots, Thailand
    In mangrove

    Respiratory or knee roots (pneumatophores) are characteristic of many species; they project above the mud and have small openings (lenticels) through which air enters, passing through the soft spongy tissue to the roots beneath the mud.

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  • snake gourd flower
    In angiosperm: Root systems

    …of mangroves become specialized as pneumatophores in saline mud flats; pneumatophores are lateral roots that grow upward (negative geotropism) for varying distances and function as the site of oxygen intake for the submerged primary root system. The plants mentioned above are only a few examples of root diversity in angiosperms,…

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  • common myrtle
    In Myrtales: Characteristic morphological features

    …of “breathing roots” known as pneumatophores. These portions of the root grow upward until they project some centimetres above the low-tide level. They have small openings called lenticels in their bark so that air can reach the rest of the plant’s root system. Another feature of most mangroves is aerial…

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root types

  • watercress seedling
    In root: Types of roots and root systems

    Pneumatophores, commonly found in mangrove species that grow in saline mud flats, are lateral roots that grow upward out of the mud and water to function as the site of oxygen intake for the submerged primary root system. The roots of certain parasitic plants are…

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trees

  • giant sequoias
    In tree: Tree roots

    Pneumatophores are specialized root structures that grow out from the water surface and facilitate the aeration necessary for root respiration in hydrophytic trees such as many mangrove species (e.g., Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia raecemosa), bald cypresses, and cotton (tupelo) gum (Nyssa aquatica). Red mangroves (Rhizophora…

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