Question

Parasitic roots are also called?
A. Sucking roots
B. Haustoria
C. Both A and B
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Roots are the descending part of the plant that help in anchoring the plant to the soil. Roots are normally non-green and they are positively geotropic and negatively phototropic. Parasitic roots have certain modified structures that connect to the conducting system of plants.

Complete answer: Roots have no nodes and internodes present. It helps in supporting the plant. They also help in the conduction of the food, water and minerals upwards in the plant. Roots also synthesize plant hormones that act as growth regulators. Parasitic roots are a modification of adventitious roots. Adventitious roots are those roots that develop from other parts of the plant except the radicle. Mostly, adventitious roots develop from the stem and leaves. Adventitious roots are also known as modified roots because they are modified to perform special functions. Parasitic roots are also known as sucking roots or haustorial roots. These roots are present in the parasitic plants. The roots help in absorbing the food and minerals from the host organism. An example of a plant with parasitic roots is Cuscuta. Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that parasitic roots are also called sucking roots and haustoria.
Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note: Apart from parasitic roots, plants have two more root systems. These root systems are the taproot system and the fibrous root system. Taproots are those roots that originate directly from the radicle, whereas fibrous roots are a modified type of taproots, in which the radicle degenerates in the initial stage.