root system

Plant's hidden half

The root system is the underground portion of a plant—all its roots considered collectively.

Root systems anchor plants in soil and absorb water and nutrients.

They vary dramatically: some spread wide and shallow, others plunge deep.

The term extends to anything with a similar branching, foundational structure: the root system of a problem, the root system of a language family.

botanical

fibrous

Made of threads

anchorage · meristem · cortex · epidermis · xylem · phloem · perennial · rootbound

foundation

anchor

Secures ships to seabed

groundwork · infrastructure · network · interconnection · base · foothold · underpinning · structural · well-established · extensive

underground

soil

Ground matter for planting

clay · silt · sand · earthworms · nutrients · minerals · microbes · aeration · drainage · depth

Categories
Opposites
plant anatomy location

root systemcanopy

Overhead protective covering

crown · foliage · leaves · branches · stem

metaphorical foundation vs. expression

root systemflowering

Producing reproductive structures

offshoots · branches · fruition · end product

visibility/exposure

root systemsurface features

Observable external characteristics

Family

root, system, roots, rooted, uproot, rooting, systematic, rootless, ecosystem

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G