Root cap

Root tip magnified 100×. 1. Meristem 2. Columellae (statocytes with statolithes) 3. Lateral part of the tip 4. Dead cells 5. Elongation zone

The root cap (also called the calyptra) is a small but multitasking organ that covers the very tip of every growing plant root. It shields the delicate apical meristem from mechanical damage, lubricates the root's passage through soil, and houses specialised gravity-sensing cells that guide the root's overall direction of growth.

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.