( i adore a random photo upload...you will have to excuse the fact that the narrative does not match the order of the photos )
the maize in my backyard (photo two) has developed support roots around the base growing from a ring of nodes on the stem...as the northern tepehuan teosinte has grown taller ( photo three...it's a bit over three feet tall) it has developed a second and now a third tier of support roots ( photos one and four...if you click on photo four and then enlarge it you'll get the better view) growing form the same sort of nodes around the stem that the maize is exhibiting...this must be standard fare in every basic plant morphology text in the most basic, entry level botany class anywhere you'd care to name...but it's new to me...i never invested much thought into how maize and field corn plants support themselves or where such a trait may have come from...in the four months since i planted teosinte i have gained a better insight.
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