rhizoid, a short, thin filament found in fungi and in certain plants and sponges that anchors the growing (vegetative) body of the organism to a substratum and that is capable of absorbing nutrients. In fungi, the rhizoid is found in the thallus and resembles a root.

In what plants are rhizoids found?

Rhizoids develop on the gametophytes of some land plants (liverworts, mosses, hornworts, lycophytes and monilophytes). Root hairs are found only on the roots of the sporophytes of vascular plants. The lycophytes and monilophytes develop both rhizoids on their gametophytes and root hairs on their sporophytes.

What is a Rhizoid in plants?

Rhizoids are either unicellular or multicellular outgrowths on the surface of plants to facilitate attachment to the surface and acquisition of nutrients and water (Box, 1986; From: Current Topics in Developmental Biology, 2019.