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CHAPTER XII.
OF THE ROOT, AND ITS DIFFERENT KINDS.
We begin the description of the completely formed vegetable by its Root, as being the basis of all the rest, as well as the first part produced from the seed. Its use in general is two-fold; to fix the plant to a commodious situation, and to derive nourishment for its support. This part is therefore commonly plunged deeply into the ground, having, as we have already shewn, a natural tendency to grow downwards. In some cases however, when plants grow on the stems or branches of others, as the Dodder or Cuscuta, several Ferns, and a portion of the Orchis tribe, the root is closely attached to the bark, from which it draws nourishment, by the under side only, the upper being bare.
The Root consists of two parts, Caudex,
