rhizoid

1. A slender rootlike filament by which mosses, liverworts, and fern gametophytes attach to the substratum and absorb nourishment.
2. A rootlike extension of the thallus of a fungus.

1. Rootlike.
2. Having rrregular branching. Used of a form of bacterial growth.

1. A slender rootlike filament by which mosses, liverworts, and fern gametophytes attach to the substratum and absorb nourishment.
2. A rootlike extension of the thallus of a fungus.

Resembling a root; said of hyphae produced by fungi which infiltrate the substrate.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any of various slender filaments that function as roots in mosses and ferns and fungi etc

Rhizoids are a structure in plants, fungi and some other organisms (e.g. some sponges) that functions like a root in support or absorption.

In fungi, rhizoids are small branching hyphae that grow downwards from the stolons that anchor the fungus. They release digestive enzymes and absorb digested organic material. In land plants, rhizoids are trichomes that anchor the plant to the ground. In the liverworts, they are absent or unicellular, but multicelled in mosses. In vascular plants they are often called root hairs, and may be unicellular or multicellular.

See also

Fungi portal

• Rhizine, the equivalent structure in lichens

This fungus-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This botany article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)