Useful Roots
Various Root Foods
Roots are not only important for the plants, but they are indispensable to us also. The roots of the plants like akonite, hing, blue flower plant of kirat family, golden seal, genron licorice, mashmalo, valerian, etc. are medicinal roots. Roots of some plants are used as food by us. Sugar beet, carrot, radish, turnip and tapioca are root foods. These roots store food and therefore, they become thick and fleshy. They have many modifications, such as fusiform radish, conical, carrots napiform beets, tuberous sweet potato and modulated, etc. sugar beet, carroty, turnip, etc. are biennial varieties. During the first year of their life cycle, these plants manufacture a lot of food, a major portion of which gets deposited in their top roots. During the second year, this food is utilized in the formation of flowers and the seeds. We make use of these roots for our food during the first year of their life.
Spices and some flavors are also obtained from the roots of various plants. Several dyes are extracted from the rots of madar and alkana plants. The Turkey red dye is obtained from madar. Dyes derived from roots have now been largely replaced by synthetic dyes.
The roots of most leguminous plants, such as beans, sweet clover, and alfalfa contain nitrogen fixing bacteria which help make nitrogen available to the plant.