root hair

Water is absorbed from the soil by the root hair cells and then travels through the xylem to the plant's leaves. The root hair cells give the root a large surface area through which to absorb water.

Tiny, hair-like outgrowth of some surface cells of plant roots that greatly increases the area available for the absorption of water and other materials such as minerals. It is a delicate structure, which survives for a few days only and does not develop into a root. Root hair cells are found just behind the root tip where they are continually being formed. They grow out into the soil for a few millimetres to produce the root hair. Each root hair is made of a single cell. At the root tip mitosis cell division is very active making new cells for growth to replace the root hair cells that die.

The majority of land plants have root hairs. The layer of the root's epidermis that produces root hairs is known as the piliferous layer.