Roots anchor a plant in the soil and draw up water and dissolved minerals from nearby particles.

The longer version

Root systems do two jobs at once. They hold the plant firmly against wind and rain, and they take in the water and dissolved minerals that the shoot needs. Slim root hairs greatly increase the surface in contact with the soil, so absorption happens across a very large area.

Water enters mainly by osmosis, moving into cells that hold a higher concentration of dissolved substances. Minerals often require active transport, meaning the plant spends energy to pull ions in against a concentration gradient. Branching keeps extending toward fresh pockets of moisture as older ones are used up.

Where this entry sits

Plants and Trees gathers ordinary and surprising details about how green things live, from the tallest forest giants down to the moss on a garden wall. Expect notes on flowers, seeds, roots, leaves, fungi, and the quiet tricks plants use to spread and survive. The full list sits on the Plants and Trees page, where every entry is listed in order.