Morphological features

The morphological features of taro:

(a) Roots: taro roots are white fleshy fibrous roots, attached to the mother taro and child taro lower nodes.

The root system of taro belongs to the shallow root system, most of the root group is distributed in the soil layer within 25cm from the soil surface.

Root hairs are less, which is formed in the aquatic environment of a special adaptation.

Intolerant of drought and weak in water absorption.

But the lateral root system born on the fleshy adventitious roots of taro can replace the root hairs for nutrient and water absorption.

(ii) stems: taro stems shortened into underground bulb, bulb form varies, there are ball, ovoid, egg, ellipsoid, rod-shaped, cylindrical and other shapes.

The size of taro bulb, that is, the longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter of the difference is also very large, in the "Chinese vegetable varieties of resources catalog" (book II) collection of 224 taro material, female taro bulb of the largest longitudinal diameter of 21cm, the smallest 4.8cm, the largest transverse diameter of 16.3cm, the smallest is only 4.3cm.

The bulb nodes have brown scale hairs, for the leaf sheath traces.

The stems are ringed with leaf scars, and the nodes all have axillary buds that can develop into new bulbs, while a few varieties can form stolons and expand apically into bulbs.

The anatomy of the bulb is composed of basic tissue thin-walled cells, with cortex and pith, in which there are scattered vascular bundles, the conduit is very large, and the leaf conduit is connected to the stomata, near the stomata, water pores, which is the result of the phylogeny of the swampy environment.

The bulb has a terminal bud that grows a new plant, and axillary buds that are cryptic; if the terminal bud is damaged, a strong axillary bud grows a new plant instead.

The two basic types of taro bud color are white and light red.

After the bulb grows a new plant, the axillary buds at the nodes can sprout into small taro called daughter taro, and the seed bulb at the time of sowing is called mother taro.

If the conditions are right, the buds on the daughter taro can also form the grandson taro, great-grandson taro and so on.

Three) leaves: taro leaves alternate, leaf blade peltate, ovate or sagittate, apex acuminate.

Leaf size varies by species.

The surface of the leaf is densely papillated, which stores air, forming an air cushion, and allows water to form droplets that do not wet the leaf surface.

The leaf blade consists of 3 parts: the epidermis, the leaf flesh and the veins.

The petiole of taro is 40-180cm long, erect or lance spreading, the lower part expanding into a sheath, wrapped around the shortened stem, with a groove in the center.

The petiole is green, red, purple or black purple, depending on the species, often as the basis for species classification.

Leaf blades and petioles have distinct air cavities, underdeveloped xylem, large, fragile leaf blades, long, hollow petioles, and are intolerant of wind damage.

(D) flowers, fruits: taro usually do not flower, only cultivated in South China around the part of the species can bloom, cultivated in temperate areas rarely bloom.

Commonly blooming taro varieties are fujian purple hoof taro, fujian red buds taro and so on.

The flowers of taro are encased in a spathe, forming a fleshy inflorescence, from top to bottom, respectively, appendages, male inflorescences, mesembryonic inflorescences and female inflorescences.

The flowers of taro are mostly white, a few pink, and are anisotropic.

Sepals are usually 4, petals are mostly long elliptic, heterogamous, and rarely set seed.

The fruit of taro is a berry.

Seeds are generally not used for production reproduction, because of its low germination rate, plant growth potential is weak, planting the year can not form a fat bulb, and traits are more variable.