Question

How many are the examples of rhizomes
Ginger, turmeric, canna, waterlily, banana, colocasia, alocasia, colchicum, saffron.
(a) Two
(b) Four
(c) Five
(d) Eight

Answer 1

Hint: plants that contain underground modified stems that store food which is developed from the auxiliary and grows horizontally and gives rise to a new plant.

Complete answer:
The main function of the stem is to spread out branches that bear leaves, flowers, and fruits. It also helps in the conduction of water and minerals and photosynthates. But in some plants, the stem is modified to perform other functions like storage of food, vegetative propagation, giving mechanical support, and protection. Some of the underground stem modifications are stem tuber, rhizome, corm, and bulb. The stems that develop from axillary buds and grow horizontally give rise to a new plant is called a rhizome. Ginger, turmeric, canna, and banana are examples of rhizomes.

Additional Information: - In order to survive in unfavorable conditions, vegetative parts like roots, stems, and leaves in plants undergo some modifications.
- Roots in plants are modified to prop roots, stilt roots, pneumatic roots, velamen roots, haustorial roots, nodular roots, photosynthetic roots.
- Underground stems are modified into stem tuber, rhizome, corm, and bulb, aerial stems are modified into stem tendrils, thorns, phylloclades, cladophylls, and bulbils.
- Ginger, turmeric, canna, and banana are examples of rhizomes; water lily is an example of thorns; colocasia, alocasia, and saffron are examples of corm
So, the correct answer is ‘four’

Note: -Not only roots and stem of the plant undergo modification but leaves also get modified to tendrils, spines, phyllodes, insectivorous leaves, and leaves that help in vegetative propagation.
-In colchicum, leaves are modified to tendrils.
-Other examples of stem modification are amorphophallus for corm, onions for bulbs, and