• The smallest plant is the Duckweed Wolffia Arrhiza, which has leaves less than 1mm in diameter.
• The biggest plant is the Giant Sequoia tree called General Sherman in California. It is 83 m tall and the diameter of its trunk is 24m.
• The oldest is lichen in Antarctica. It is thought to be more than 10,000 years old.
• A Eucalyptus tree in Victoria, Australia, is 143 m tall.
• The biggest flower is the Rafflesia of Indonesia, whose petals measure more than 2m across.
• The biggest water plant is the Amazon water Lily, which has leaves more than 2 m across.
• The biggest leaves belong to the Raffia Palm, which can grow up to 20 m long.
• The deepest roots belong to a fig tree growing in South Africa, which has roots growing down to the depth of 120 m.
• The biggest seed is the coco de mer coconut, which weighs up to 20 kg.
• The fastest growing plant is the bamboo, whose size increases by 1 m in a single day.

green trees

Root is the part of a plant that grows under the ground.

1* Tap root

The primary root is larger than the small roots, called lateral roots or secondary roots. The secondary roots grow out of the primary roots. Many vegetables are forms of swollen tap roots.

2* Prop root

They are special types of aerial roots. They grow out from a stem or a branch and then grow into the ground, which may be under water. Prop roots support a heavy plant, e.g., a mangrove.

3* Aerial root

Roots which grow out from stems and branches and do not normally touch the ground. The aerial roots can be used for climbing, e.g., in an ivy. Many absorb moisture from the air.

4* Fibrous root

A root system made up of a large number of equal- sized roots, all producing smaller lateral roots. The first root is not prominent, as it is in a tap root system.

5* Adventitious root

Roots which grow directly are from a stem. Adventitious roots grow out of bulbs or from gardener’s cuttings.

Know this

a) The roots of the water hyacinth and duck weed hang down in water and act as a support, so that these plants do not turn over when the wind blows.

b) November 2002- the disappearing mangrove trees in Mumbai are resulting in the loss of the sweet underground water.