Root cap
Encyclopedia
The root cap is a section of tissue at the tip of a plant root
. It is also called calyptra
. Root caps contain statocyte
s which are involved in gravity perception
in plants. If the cap is carefully removed the root will grow randomly. The root cap protects the growing tip
in plants. It secretes mucilage
to ease the movement of the root through soil, and may also be involved in communication with the soil microbiota.
The root cap is absent in some parasitic plants and some aquatic plants, in which a sac-like structure called the root pocket may form instead.
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
. It is also called calyptra
Calyptra
Calyptra is a scientific term used in botany. It describes a feature in plant morphology.-Bryophytes:In bryophytes, the calyptra is an enlarged archegonial venter that protects the capsule containing the embryonic sporophyte . The calyptra is usually lost before the spores are released from the...
. Root caps contain statocyte
Statocyte
Statocytes are cells thought to be involved in gravitropic perception in plants, located in the cap tissue of the roots. They contain statoliths – starch-filled amyloplastic organelles – which sediment at the lowest part of the cells and initiate differential growth patterns, bending the root...
s which are involved in gravity perception
Gravitropism
Gravitropism is a turning or growth movement by a plant or fungus in response to gravity. Charles Darwin was one of the first to scientifically document that roots show positive gravitropism and stems show negative gravitropism. That is, roots grow in the direction of gravitational pull and stems...
in plants. If the cap is carefully removed the root will grow randomly. The root cap protects the growing tip
Meristem
A meristem is the tissue in most plants consisting of undifferentiated cells , found in zones of the plant where growth can take place....
in plants. It secretes mucilage
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
to ease the movement of the root through soil, and may also be involved in communication with the soil microbiota.
The root cap is absent in some parasitic plants and some aquatic plants, in which a sac-like structure called the root pocket may form instead.