Aerial root

An aerial root grows partly or wholly above the soil. Depending on the plant, it can absorb moisture, support the stem, or help the plant climb.

Pneumatophore: A specialized root that grows above waterlogged soil and aids gas exchange. Mangroves and other wetland plants use these upward-growing roots to obtain oxygen.
Strangler fig: A fig that germinates on another tree and grows roots around its host toward the ground. Its descending aerial roots eventually form a supporting trunk-like framework.
Root: A plant organ that typically anchors the plant and absorbs water and minerals from its surroundings. Aerial roots are roots with substantial growth outside the soil.
Haustorium: A specialized structure through which a parasitic plant extracts resources from a host. Unlike ordinary aerial roots, a haustorium penetrates host tissue to obtain resources.
Prop root: A root that grows from a stem or branch into the ground, adding structural support. Some aerial roots become load-bearing supports when they reach the soil.
English ivy: An evergreen climbing vine that attaches to surfaces using specialized rootlets. Its aerial rootlets anchor stems to walls, tree bark, and other rough surfaces.
Root system: The network of roots that anchors a plant and absorbs water and minerals. Aerial roots can form part of a plant’s root system while remaining exposed.
Climbing tendril: A slender, coiling plant structure that attaches a climbing plant to a support. Tendrils aid climbing like some aerial roots, but are modified stems or leaves.
Velamen: A spongy, multilayered tissue covering the aerial roots of many orchids. Its porous cells rapidly absorb water and dissolved minerals from rain and humid air.
Mangrove: A salt-tolerant tree or shrub that grows in tropical and subtropical coastal wetlands. Mangroves produce exposed roots adapted to unstable, oxygen-poor sediments.

Linked from 4 pages