OCR Text |
Show Plants That Produce Both Food and Water In some tropical or subtropical countries coun-tries there is a regular alternation of wet and dry so-tsuiis. There are found plants that grow rapidly during the rainy season, producing leaves, flowers flow-ers and fruit within a short period. Some of these then die outright with the coming of the dry season, and are started anew from seeds at the rplurn of favorable conditions. Others make the usual growth of leaves, flowers and fruit, and in addition produce bulbs, tubers, ruotstocks and fleshy roots underground. un-derground. !y means of food male-rials, male-rials, as sugar and starch, and quan lilies of wa'er stored in these undi-r-ground structures, such plants keep alive through the dry season, and are enabled to make n very rapid growth when favorable mndltlons return The amount of food materials htkI water stored in these structures Is re ninrkablc. Fleshy roots weighing more than ;"(! pounds are not unusual wilh some members of (lie gourd family Some members of the morning glory family, as yams or sweet potatoes reach almost as great size. The culti vatcd onion furnishes a familiar ex ample of watei and food storage 1 r . bulbs. As compared with other mn terlals In the plant, the amount ot water stored In these structures is amazing. The common potato con tains ahum so p,.r ,,.! of water The roots of carrots. hepJs or turnips show Shout nn equal percentage. Bulbs as in the onion; special water storage leaves, ns In the lep plant, and steins as In some caetu forms, may show fully !0 per cent water. |