Root maps
May 25, 2024 5:55 AM Subscribe
1,180 drawings of plant root systems. A variety of strategies for collecting water and nutrients into the plant.
Some have both horizontal and vertical views.
Some have both horizontal and vertical views.
Well, I studied root anatomy for my Ph.D., and I love saying "Wageningen", so this is the site for me! It has a search feature, which is great if you're a fan of certain plants. Or NOT a fan of certain plants. This map explains why I can't get the wineberry out of my yard.
posted by acrasis at 7:20 AM on May 25 [6 favorites]
posted by acrasis at 7:20 AM on May 25 [6 favorites]
My preschoolers are doing a gardening study right now. These will be fun to look at with them.
posted by kathrynm at 8:46 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
posted by kathrynm at 8:46 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
This is amazing, and I was really enjoying the first link (the two-tier system on Abies alba, the very first entry, is super cool!). Then I clicked the "variety" link and O, the wailing and gnashing of teeth!
posted by agentofselection at 8:51 AM on May 25
posted by agentofselection at 8:51 AM on May 25
Slightly disappointed that the root parasites I've found so far don't include the host plant in the drawings, though.
posted by agentofselection at 8:57 AM on May 25
posted by agentofselection at 8:57 AM on May 25
Wageningen is it? For another rooty connexion, Martinus Beijerinck (1851-1931) a researcher from Wageningen was the first to culture a root-nodule microbe on a petri-dish in his lab. He called it Bacillus radicicola but it has been renamed as Rhizobium leguminosarum.
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:08 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:08 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
I want one of these framed and the bindweed would certainly be an interesting shape on the wall. (Basement stairs??)
posted by clew at 10:44 AM on May 25
posted by clew at 10:44 AM on May 25
2D and 3D tracings of (slightly smaller) trees that grow inside your brain.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:25 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:25 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]
These are so cool, I often find myself excavating along a root while trying to remove a stubborn stump and wondering "where the hell are you going?" If these were carefully dug out to map the extent, some of them must have been massive projects.
posted by lucidium at 9:17 AM on May 26
posted by lucidium at 9:17 AM on May 26
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posted by fairmettle at 5:59 AM on May 25