Potato.
Plants utilize several structures for vegetative propagation, including: Stolons (or runners) - horizontal stems that grow along the soil surface, producing new plants at nodes. Rhizomes - underground stems that can generate new shoots and roots, allowing for expansion and reproduction. Tubers - swollen underground storage organs that can sprout new plants from "eyes" or buds. Bulbs - short underground stems surrounded by fleshy leaves that store nutrients and can produce new shoots in the growing season.
Plants that store food in their stems include succulents like cacti, where the thick stems retain water and serve as a reservoir during dry periods. Other examples are tuberous plants like potatoes, where the swollen underground stems store starches and nutrients for growth and reproduction.
In potato tuber the axillary buds are situated in a cavity forming an eye like structure. On planting these tubers, these buds develop in to new plants.
Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBSare composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlic bulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node. Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBS are composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlicbulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node.
Bulbs are underground buds with the stem reduced to a small knob on which fleshy storage leaves are clustered (e.g. dry onions).Tubers are fleshy underground stems modified to store starch (e.g. white, or Irish, potatoes). The "eyes" are the nodes with an axillary bud in each (the peel is periderm tissue). Sweet potatoes are roots.Rhizomes are horizontal underground stems with nodes, internodes, dry scale leaves, and adventitious roots (e.g. fresh ginger "roots" sold in grocery stores are rhizomes). Canna lilies, iris, and many grasses have rhizomes with which they are propagated.Corms are upright underground fleshy stems covered by leaves reduced to dry, covering scales (e.g. gladiolus and crocus). Note that corms store reserve food in stem tissue, and bulbs in leaf tissue.Thorns are woody, sharply pointed branch stems (e.g. honey locust).Spines are small, unbranched, sharp outgrowths of leaf tissue in which the parenchyma is replaced by sclerenchyma (e.g. cactus).Prickles are small pointed outgrowths from the epidermis or cortex of the stem (e.g. rose and raspberry).Cladophylls are flattened main stems that resemble leaves (e.g. butcher's-broom, greenbrier, and some orchids). Edible asparagus shoots left to grow produce many small fern-like cladophylls.Stipules are paired scales, glands, or leaf-like structures at the base of the petiole formed from leaf or stem tissue (e.g. black locust).Bracts are modified leaves at the base of flowers or flower stalks. Some are highly-colored and resemble petals (e.g. the red "petals" of poinsettia are bracts surrounding the small, yellow flowers).Tendrils can be exclusively leaf tissue (e.g. pea leaflets, nasturtium petioles, or cucumber leaves that twine and aid in supporting the shoots) or they can be modified special shoots with thin, modified stems (e.g. morning glories, grapes, and Boston ivy).Stolons, sometimes called runners, are thin, above-ground, horizontal stems of indeterminate growth and long internodes that grow out from a parent plant and produce young plants at their tips (e.g. strawberry plants, and a host of the most pernicious garden weeds).Source: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/Specialized-Leaves-and-Stems.topicArticleId-23791,articleId-23683.htmlRead more: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/Specialized-Leaves-and-Stems.topicArticleId-23791,articleId-23683.html#ixzz0YOjwgcO9
Plants utilize several structures for vegetative propagation, including: Stolons (or runners) - horizontal stems that grow along the soil surface, producing new plants at nodes. Rhizomes - underground stems that can generate new shoots and roots, allowing for expansion and reproduction. Tubers - swollen underground storage organs that can sprout new plants from "eyes" or buds. Bulbs - short underground stems surrounded by fleshy leaves that store nutrients and can produce new shoots in the growing season.
the presence of buds located in the potatoes eyes, which represents the nodes
Plants that store food in their stems include succulents like cacti, where the thick stems retain water and serve as a reservoir during dry periods. Other examples are tuberous plants like potatoes, where the swollen underground stems store starches and nutrients for growth and reproduction.
Though potatoes grow underground, they are actually modified underground stems and NOT roots. To understand how a stem differs from root, take stem of any plant, you can see lateral buds and leaves growing out of the stem at some points called nodes. The regions between two successive nodes is called internodes. Internodes provide height to the plant. Unlike stems and branches, roots don't have a node/internode pattern of construction. In a potato tuber also, there are small depressions or eyes, which are actually nodes. They contain buds from where new potato plants can grow. When these buds are exposed to warm and moist conditions, they start sprouting. You can actually plant these sprouted potatoes in ground and soon they will grow into plants. If you dig potato plants, you can clearly see that potatoes tubers are connected to the stem using stolons. Root system is separate from the stolons. I have made a complete video explaining this on my educational channel - The Science Girl, you can check that for thorough understanding.
In potato tuber the axillary buds are situated in a cavity forming an eye like structure. On planting these tubers, these buds develop in to new plants.
Whoever said that a potato is a root just because it is below ground was making that up and doesn't know what they are talking about. A potato is just a thickened stem that is underground. As to why it is a root, does anyone care to elaborate? Please only answer if you actually know.
because The "eyes" of the potatoes are buds that grow into new plants.@tonilyn_1D
Potatoes grow underground from the eyes of a potato plant, not from seeds. The eyes sprout into new plants, which then produce more potatoes.
Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBSare composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlic bulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node. Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBS are composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlicbulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node.
Tubers, bulbs, and runners are all types of underground storage organs in plants. Tubers, like potatoes, store nutrients and can produce new plants from their "eyes." Bulbs, such as onions and tulips, consist of a short stem surrounded by fleshy leaves that store energy. Runners, or stolons, are horizontal stems that grow along the ground and can produce new plants at their nodes, as seen in strawberries.
Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBSare composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlic bulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node. Bulbs can be considered to be very short stems encased in thickened, fleshy bulb scales (which are modified leaves). As the drawing below shows, the two basic bulb types are layered and scaly: * LAYERED BULBS are composed of a series of fleshy scales that form concentric rings when the bulb is cut in cross-section. In the picture at the right, both the onion bulb on the left and the garlicbulb on the right are layered bulbs. Well, the onion bulb is easy to recognize as a layered bulb but the garlic bulb is tricky because it looks like a scaly bulb. The difference between a garlic bulb and a scaly bulb is explained in the following section. * Tubers such as those shown at the tip of some Nut Grass stolons above, as well as the ordinary potato shown at the right, are often thought of as roots. However, as we've just said, roots don't have buds, and that's exactly what you see sprouting on the potato, arising from the potato's "eyes." Tubers are actually swollen portions of underground stems (stolons) and, as we've seen, stems have nodes, and buds arise at nodes. One reason it's hard to think of the potato with its sprouting eyes as an underground stem is that no nodes are obvious. If you were a scientist able to watch the potato's cells divide and grow from the very beginning you'd see that in the very early stages of development the potato had recognizable nodes, and then you could watch the nodes develop slowly into the potato's eyes, and the eyes would have buds associated with them, just like a normal tree-branch node.
eyes vs. taste buds