Root hair

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Root-tip, showing young root-hairs

A root hair is a tubular outgrowth of root epidermal cells of vascular plants. They are found only in the region of maturation of the root. Root hairs are a specialized form of rhizoid.

Root hairs form an important surface over which plants absorb most of their water and nutrients. They are also directly involved in the formation of root nodules in legume plants.

They have a large surface area, relative to the other cells, that help them absorb water and minerals more efficiently.

Root hairs are usually an outgrowth of a single epidermal cell that grow out of the roots. In other words, they are one cell thick, and therefore very fragile. This is why if you pull a plant out of the ground even with its visible roots still attached, the plant will often die when replanted. It needs the root hairs' extra surface area.