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If one looks at the smallest roots plants have (on a mature plant), or on the root tip of a newly sprouting seed, one will see tiny little hair-like structures. You might need a magnifying glass to see them, because they are so small. These are the root hairs. They usually look like a fuze on the outside of these little roots.

There is a single layer of cells covering the outside of these small roots, which is called the epidermis. These cells have a thin outside layer called the cell wall. These single cells of the epidermis produce an extension off of this outside cell wall that is long and thin. This is the root hair. As the root continues to grow, new cells in the epidermis start producing new root hairs, while older root hairs start to disappear.

The root hair is not a single cell by itself, but rather a long, thin extension of the epidermal cell. It is used by the plant to increase the total surface area of the epidermal cells, which are use by the plant to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

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12y ago

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