About Roots

↟ Roots grow from their tips, in warm weather/ when soil temperatures are favourable.

↟ Most tree roots stay in the top 18 inches of soil, but they can also grow above ground (mangroves, banyan figs) or dive a few hundred feet deep (the roots of a South African wild fig tree can exceed depths of 390 feet).

↟ Each root is covered with tiny hairs through which water and minerals are absorbed.

↟ Trees also use their roots to communicate- they can send distress signals about drought, disease or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behaviour when they receive these messages.

↟ By splitting rocks into smaller pieces, roots contribute to soil-creation.

↟ A large mature oak tree can consume between 250-900 litres of water per day, and a giant sequoia- up to 2300 litres.

↟ Coconut palm trees produce roots that grow just below the surface in a fibrous mass, reaching out distances that are as far as the tree is tall. They have evolved to thrive in saline water near oceans and support a slender trunk from 80 to 100 feet high that must withstand the rigors of tropical storms and hurricanes.

↟ Mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions that would quickly kill most plants, through a series of impressive adaptations- including a filtration system that keeps out much of the salt and a complex root system that holds the mangrove upright in the shifting sediments where land and water meet.