Question

An example of edible underground stem is
A. Carrot
B. Groundnut
C. Sweet potato
D. Potato

Answer 1

Hint: Stem: It is the plant axis that bears buds and shoots with leaves and at its base end, roots.
The stem helps in conduction of water, minerals, and food to other parts of the plant.
It may also store food, and green stems then produce food.

Complete answer:
Stem: It is the ascending part of the axis bearing branches, leaves, flowers and fruits.
Stem develops from the plumule of the embryo of a germinating seed.
The stem also bears nodes and internodes and nodes may be terminal or axillary.
They are modified to perform different functions for example:
1. Storage
2. Support
3. Protection
4. Spread and vegetative propagation.
Underground stems of potato, ginger, turmeric and jimikand, are modified to store food in them.
Modified stems are located below ground as bulbs (which are actually primarily the enlarged base of the plant's leaves, corms, rhizomes, and tubers.
According to the question, Carrot and Sweet potato is an example of root modification.
Tap roots of carrot and turnip and the adventitious root of sweet potato get swollen up and store food.
Edible parts of groundnut are seeds.
The fruit is geocarpic in nature that means it ripens inside the soil itself.
The pericarp of the fruit is hard but an edible part of fruit is seed.
Non edible parts include root, stem and leaf of groundnut.
Edible part of potato is modified underground stem which is helpful in storage of food.

So, the correct option is option D. Potato.

Note: Some tendrils develop from the axillary buds are slender and spirally coiled and help plants to climb such as cucumber, pumpkins and watermelon.
Buds of stem may also get modified into woody, straight pointed thorns which protects plants from browsing animals such as citrus, bougainvillea.