A taproot is an anchoring root growing downward in a vertical orientation and they are the main root anchoring system that the feeding roots grow from. A taproot is usually a thick root that tapers gradually. Taproots are the thick primary root that normally grows straight down under the soil.
A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally and horizontal. Typically, a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot is a storage organ so well developed that it has been cultivated as a vegetable.
The taproot system contrasts with the adventitious- or fibrous-root system of plants with many branched roots, but many plants that grow a taproot during germination go on to develop branching root structures, although some that rely on the main root for storage may retain the dominant taproot for centuries—for example, Welwitschia.
English
Etymology
From tap + root. The oldest use (by Philemon Holland) is spaced as tap root. In the 18th and 19th centuries the standard spelling was tap-root.
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈtæpˌɹuːt/
Noun
taproot (plural taproots)
- (botany) A long, tapering root, exhibited by many plant species (such as carrots and dandelions). [from early 17th c.]
Derived terms
- taproot text
Translations
Anagrams
- portato,
