Which plant stores food in its roots?

Analyze the question: We need the plant that stores its food in its roots. The key is to tell apart root tubers from stem tubers, corms, and bulbs.

Concept: Plants store food in different modified organs:

• Modified roots (root tubers): cassava, sweet potato, carrot, beetroot
• Modified stems: yam tuber (stem tuber), Irish potato (stem tuber), cocoyam (corm)
• Bulbs (modified leaves on a short stem): onion

Step-by-step check of the options:

• A. Cassava: The edible part is the swollen root tuber. It stores starch in its adventitious roots. ✔
• B. Cocoyam: This is a corm, an underground swollen stem. ✘
• C. Irish potato: This is a stem tuber, formed from swollen underground stem tips. It has "eyes" (buds), which roots do not have. ✘
• D. Onion: This is a bulb, with fleshy leaves storing food. ✘
• E. Yam: This is a stem tuber. Many students assume it is a root, but it is a stem. ✘

Answer: The correct option is A. Cassava.

Exam tip: Remember the phrase "Cassava and Carrot are Root." Yam and Irish potato are stem tubers, cocoyam is a corm, and onion is a bulb. If you see "eyes" or buds on the food-storage organ, it is a stem and not a root.