Buttress root

 ( Plant Roots ) 

Buttress roots, also known as plank roots or stilt roots, are large, wide on all sides of a shallowly rooted tree. Typically, they are found in nutrient-poor tropical forest that may not be very deep. They may prevent the tree from falling over, hence the name buttress.

Buttresses are tension elements, being larger on the side away from the stress of asymmetrical canopies.Young, T. P. and V. Perkocha. "Treefalls, crown asymmetry, and buttresses". Journal of Ecology 82:319-324. The roots may intertwine with buttress roots from other trees and create an intricate mesh, which may help support trees surrounding it. They can grow up to tall, spread for above the soil, and then continue another 30 metres horizontally below ground level. When the roots spread horizontally, they are able to cover a wider area for collecting nutrients. They stay near the upper soil layer because all the main nutrients are found there.

• Ceiba pentandra of Vieques, Puerto Rico
• Moreton Bay fig ( Ficus macrophylla) in Queensland, Australia
• Jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus), India
• Terminalia arjuna, India
• Koompassia excelsa, Southeast Asia

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