root

thumb|Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the surface of the soil, but roots can also be aerial or aerating, that is, growing up above the ground or especially above water.

== Function == Roots perform several essential and specialised roles that support plant growth, development and survival. Their primary functions are anchorage, uptake (absorption) of water and dissolved minerals, and conduction of these resources to the shoot. Beyond these, roots carry out a range of important secondary and adaptive functions — storage of reserves, synthesis of growth regulators, gas exchange in waterlogged environments, facilitation of symbiotic nutrient acquisition, and vegetative propagation.