ROOTS OF PLANTS 



49 



process takes place naturally in the strawberry plant, whose 

 creeping stems produce new roots and new tufts of leaves, so 

 that in the course of a season a single plant may spread out 

 and cover a large area. 



73. Adventitious roots. At the lower joints of the stalk of Indian 

 corn adventitious roots are formed very early in the life of the plant 



FIG. 1 6. The banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis} 



The adventitious roots from the horizontal branches finally attach themselves to the soil. 

 By means of these roots the tree is able to spread over a large area, a single tree some- 

 times extending over several acres of ground 



(Fig. 14). Adventitious roots usually grow from the stem (though 

 sometimes from leaves), and are most frequently in the nature of sup- 

 porting or anchoring organs. The climbing organs of the English ivy 

 as well as of the poison ivy are adventitious roots (Fig. 15), and in 

 some of the tropical tree-climbing plants the roots are very fully de- 

 veloped as holdfast organs. The banyan tree of Asia puts forth 

 adventitious roots from the horizontal branches (Fig. 16). 



