Vascular Plant Roots – just what do they do?

Typical vascular plant roots are that part of the plant that remains underground. While both the upstairs stems and shoots and the downstairs roots are composed of lignified, vascular tissue, roots grow no leaves and therefore have no nodes. It is the vascular tissue that we are interested in Produce. Vascular tissues facilitate the transportation of nutrients and water throughout the plant. This allows vascular plants to grow to much larger sizes than primitive non-vascular plants, such as mosses and liverworts. It also provides a much more robust skeleton due to the strength provided by these conductive tissues.
Being the root system of a plant is no small thing. Just because kids will never climb you nor will you ever produce a perfectly ripe peach does not undermine your importance. You should know that. Roots are responsible for the uptake of water and all nonorganic nutrients for the plant. The second essential role the roots play is anchoring the plant body to the ground. The relationship between the roots and the terrestrial plant body is complicated and intimate. There are many subtle and complex feedback mechanisms that allow the plant to expand above ground when the root system is happy that there is enough below ground resources to support it.

References
Kenrick, P & P R Crane. (1997) The Origin and Early Diversification of Land Plants: A Cladistic Study. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press