pneumatophore

pneu·mat·o·phore

P0389700 (no͞o-măt′ə-fôr′, nyo͞o-, no͞o′mə-tə-, nyo͞o′-)n.1. A gas-filled sac serving as a float in some colonial marine hydrozoans, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.2. Botany A specialized respiratory root in certain aquatic plants, such as the bald cypress, that grows upward and protrudes above the water or mud into the air.

pneumatophore

(njuːˈmætəʊˌfɔː) n1. (Botany) a specialized root of certain swamp plants, such as the mangrove, that branches upwards, rising above ground, and undergoes gaseous exchange with the atmosphere2. (Zoology) a polyp in coelenterates of the order Siphonophora, such as the Portuguese man-of-war, that is specialized as a float

pneu•mat•o•phore

(nʊˈmæt əˌfɔr, -ˌfoʊr, nyʊ-)

n. 1. a specialized structure developed from the root in certain plants growing in swamps and marshes, serving as a respiratory organ. 2. the air sac of a siphonophore, serving as a float. [1855–60] pneu•ma•toph•or•ous (ˌnu məˈtɒf ər əs, ˌnyu-) adj.

Thesaurus

Noun

pneumatophore - an air-filled root (submerged or exposed) that can function as a respiratory organ of a marsh or swamp plantroot - (botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground

Pneumatophore

pneumatophore

[′nü·məd·ə‚fȯr] (botany) An air bladder in marsh plants. A submerged or exposed erect root that functions in the respiration of certain marsh plants. (invertebrate zoology) The air sac of a siphonophore.

Pneumatophore

the organ of hydrostatic equilibrium in the colonial Siphonophora. The pneumatophore is located on the upper end of the common trunk of the colony. Its cavity is divided into air-bearing and glandular areas. The cells of the glandular area excrete a gas that is similar in composition to air.

Pneumatophore

a terrestrial ventilative or respiratory root of some tropical woody plants. Pneumatophores characterize many trees that form mangrove forests, some palms, and the American bald cypress. Such plants grow on swampy soils with a poor oxygen content or along seashores that are flooded when the tide is in. Pneumatophores develop from subterranean roots or rhizomes and grow vertically, rising above the water or soil. Their biological significance is mainly their supply of air to subterranean organs. This is promoted by the anatomic structure of pneumatophores: their thin bark, numerous lenticels, and system of air-bearing intercellular spaces. An abundance of intercellular space often is responsible for the white color of pneumatophores. Plants that usually have pneumatophores do not form them when grown on soils that are not swampy. Thus, pneumatophores are absent in the bald cypress that is raised as an ornamental on the southern coast of the Crimea, in the Caucasus, and in Middle Asia.

pneumatophore

pneu·mat·o·phore

pneumatophore

pneu•mat•o•phore

Pneumatophore

pneumatophore

Pneumatophore

Pneumatophore

pneumatophore

pneumatophore

pneumatophore

Words related to pneumatophore

noun an air-filled root (submerged or exposed) that can function as a respiratory organ of a marsh or swamp plant

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