THE PLANT BODY 



65 



A. GROSS STRUCTURE 



The body of the sporophyte of a typical Flowering Plant is 

 clearly differentiated into two parts, ROOT and SHOOT. The 

 root is the organ of attachment, as well as of absorption of 

 food material in solution. The shoot consists of STEM and 

 LEAVES. The stem is largely a passive structure and forms 

 the connecting link between the root and the photosynthetic 



FIG. 26. A, tap root of the Dandelion; B, fibrous roots of a grass; C, clustered and 

 fleshy roots of the Dahlia. (From Bergen and Davis.) 



apparatus of the leaf. The reproductive organs (SPORANGIA) 

 are usually developed as appendages of modified leaves 



(SPOROPHYLLS) . 



1. Root 



The PRIMARY root of a young plant, which is usually a 

 continuation downward from the shoot, may persist through- 

 out the life of the plant as the chief root and merely give off 

 laterally small secondary roots. Such a root system, known 

 as a TAP root, is common in many herbs, as for example the 

 Dandelion. More often the primary root is entirely replaced 



