But since no such definition can do justice to the diversity of the plant kingdom, it seems best to avoid that approach here and, proceeding on faith, to describe instead what we don't feel quite competent to define. This may not be the intellectually tidy way, but it's probably more informative. Let's consider each in turn. Many roots, like the carrot, also serve as food storage organs for their plants. A taproot is a single main root with distinctly smaller branch roots.
Fibrous roots are thin and all more or less the same size.
A single plant with a highly branching root system not un-typically develops millions of roots totaling hundreds of miles in length and thousands of square feet in absorbent surface area. The Stem Some parts of herbaceous perennial plants that many people consider roots are actually underground portions of the plant's stem. One feature that distinguishes it from a true root is the presence of scaly leaves at regular intervals along its length. The rootstock lives from year to year, sending up new growth each season. A stolon is much like a rootstock, but it grows along the surface of the ground, sending roots down and stems up at intervals.