In botany, a cap-like structure that covers and protects a plant's root tip as it grows through soil.
From Greek kalyptra meaning 'veil' or 'cap,' the word describes the protective covering that shields the root meristem (growing tip) from damage. Adopted into botanical terminology in the 17th-18th centuries.
Root caps are one of nature's overlooked marvels—they secrete mucus to reduce friction and help the root sense gravity, and they replace themselves constantly as the root pushes through hard soil at a rate of about 2 centimeters per day!
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