Potato is Underground Stem Because it__

Answer: A. Possesses axillary buds (eyes)

Potato is an underground stem because it is a stem tuber. A stem tuber is a thicker part of the stem that grows below the ground to store food. Moreover, it bears buds or what is commonly referred to as the ‘’eyes’’. A potato is capable of sprouting underground plants. They are very different from roots as they have nodes, internodes, and vascular tissues similar to green stems above the ground. 

Complete Answer

The answer to this question is that potatoes have buds or eyes, and have stem parts like nodes and internodes. Therefore, they are classified as underground stems.

How Does a Potato Store Food?

A potato can store food in different ways. That is.

1. A potato has a storage organ- The potato tuber consists of starch (a type of sugar) stored in specific cells. This gives energy to the potato plant to live in unfavourable weather conditions like winter or dry months.
2. Potatoes have stem features. In fact, you can find a pith (middle), vascular zones (for transport of water and food), and cortex (outer layer) inside the tuber. All of these parts are common in normal stems!

How Does a Potato Sprout New Plants?

A potato can sprout new plants in the following ways:

1. Potatoes have eyes or auxiliary buds. Each eye is a small bud that can grow into a shoot. Thus, it can develop leaves above ground.
2. Vegetative propagation is another way. When circumstances are right these buds use the stored starch to push up shoots. Therefore, roots form at the base, and a new plant is formed.

Fun Fact: Tubers vs. Roots

Potato is an underground stem because it is a stem tuber. Potatoes are not roots. Here is the main difference between tubers and roots.

1. Stem tubers like yams and potatoes have nodes and buds. They form from underground stems called stolons or rhizomes.
2. On the other hand, root tubers like sweet potatoes have enlarged roots. They do not have buds or eyes.

Eyes are buds. Just like you have eyes on your face, potatoes have their eyes on their skin. It can sense conditions like moisture and light. Thereafter, it decides when to grow. Potatoes are a stem tuber because they have eyes, nodes and internodes. It is not a root.

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