Roots are the invisible support of a plant; and therefore, it is difficult to imagine a plant without roots. However, some plants do not have true roots. Such plants have tiny hair-like structure in them, instead of the regular roots that are present in other trees. These structures are known as rhizoids, and resemble roots.
Rhizoids keep the plants strongly attached to the ground. Plants such as liverworts, mosses and lichens have rhizoids and not roots. Due to this phenomenon, liverworts have to absorb water through their entire surface. Therefore, these plants grow very close to the ground, in damp shady places. Mosses too have no roots. They have short stems growing from the rhizoids and tiny leaves. Water and food are carried to the plant through a vein present in each leaf. The presence of chlorophyll in the leaves, helps the plant to manufactures its food.The fact that mosses grow mostly in damp places, adds to this process.
Lichens too lack roots. Instead, they have an outer of fungal cells that are coloured green, brown or yellow. Green or blue green algal cells appear below this. These plants do not have roots and they survive by absorbing water through their entire body, or through the rhizoids.
Picture Credit : Google
