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70. Tunilp. 



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a common parasitic herb, consisting of orange-colour or whitish stems, looking 

 like threads of yarn. These coil round the stalks of other plants, fasten them- 

 selves by little suckers in i)la(e of roots, and feed upon their juices Living as 

 such a plant does by robbing other plants of their prepared food, it has no 

 leaves of its own, except little scales in theii place, and has no need of any. 



89. Shapes and Uses of Roots. CGinmon roots, however, grow in the soil. And their 

 use is to absorb moisture and other matters from the soil, and sometimes to hold 



prepared foo<l until it is wanted for use, as was explained in 

 the last section (70, 73). Those for absorbing are 



Fibrous roofs, namely, slender and thieul-shaped. as in Fig. 

 48, 56, and generally branching. Very slender roots of the 

 sort » their branches, are called HoothiH ; and these do most 

 of the absorbing. The roots of annuals are mostly fibrous, as 

 they have nothing to do but to absorb ; and so are the smaller 

 branches of the roots of shrubs, tiees, and other plants. 



Fle,<hi) roots are those of herbs which form a thick and 

 stout body, from having much noin-ishment deposited in them. 

 'J'hey belong particularly to biennial herbs (69), and to many 

 perennials (73). Some sorts have names according to their 

 sha})es. The root is a 



'lap-roof, when of one main body, and tapering downwards 

 to a point; as that of a Carrot (Fig. 71), and of a seedling 

 Oak (Fig. 41). And a taproot is 



Conical, when stout, and tapering gradually from the upper 

 rnd to a point below; as a carrot (Fig. 71), jjarsnip, or bnet. 

 Spindle sliaped, when thicker in the middle, and tapering 

 upwards as well as downwards, like a radish (Fig. 57) ; and 



Turnip-shaped, or Napiform, when wider than long, or with 

 a suddenly tapering tip, as a turnip (Fig. 70). Roots are 

 71. Ciurof. Clustered or Faseided when, instead of one main root, there 



are several or many of about the same size ; as in Indian Corn (Fig. 48 *, and other 

 grain (Fig. 56). Here the clustered roots five fi/jrous, being for absorbing only. 

 When such roots, or some of them, are thick and fleshy, as they are when used 

 as storehouses of food, they become Tuherous. The roots of the Dahlia, for 

 instance (Fig, 58), are clustered and tuberous or tuber-like. 



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