. . . . . . . . . . "MSH: The usually underground portions of a plant that serve as support, store food, and through which water and mineral nutrients enter the plant. (From American Heritage Dictionary, 1982; Concise Dictionary of Biology, 1990),CSP: organ of higher plants growing underground for anchorage, water/nutrient absorption, and storage of food; can reproduce plant vegetatively, and is usually the largest part of the plant's body.,NCI: The underground (typically) part of a seed plant body that usually originates from the hypocotyl, functions as an organ of absorption, aeration, and food storage as well as a means of anchor and support. It differs from a stem by lacking nodes, buds, and leaves." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .