Suppose you take two young cuttings of a house plant. You cut the roots off of one cutting and then place both cuttings in a jar of red dye. After 20 minutes, the roots, stem, and leaves of the cutting with roots have turned pink. The cutting without roots has not changed color at all. Why has the cutting without roots remained a normal, green color?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cutting the roots would damage the xylem, which is responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. Without functioning xylem, the plant cannot take up water and therefore cannot absorb the red dye, resulting in no change in color.

Suppose You Take Two Young Cuttings of a House Plant