<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A root hair, or absorbent hair, the rhizoid of a vascular plant, is a tubular outgrowth of a trichoblast, a hair - forming cell on the epidermis of a plant root . As they are lateral extensions of a single cell and only rarely branched, they are visible to the naked eye . They are found only in the region of maturation of the root . Just prior to, and during, root hair cell development, there is elevated phosphorylase activity . </P> <P> The root hairs are where most water absorption happens . They are long and thin so they can penetrate between soil particles, and they have a large surface area for absorption of water . Increasing root surface area aids plants to be more efficient in absorbing nutrients and establishing relationships with microbes . Cross-section of root hair cell: a roughly rectangular shape with a long, thin tail extending to the right and a nucleus at the top left . Water passes from the soil water to the root hair cell's cytoplasm by osmosis . This happens because the soil water has a higher water potential than the root hair cell cytoplasm . The function of root hairs is to collect water and mineral nutrients present in the soil and take this solution up through the roots to the rest of the plant . As root hair cells do not carry out photosynthesis they do not contain chloroplasts . </P> <P> Root hair cells are outgrowths at a tip of the plant's roots . Root hair cells vary between 15 and 17 micrometres in diameter, and 80 to 1,500 micrometres in length . They are found only in the zone of maturation, and not the zone of elongation, possibly because any root hairs that arise are sheared off as the root elongates and moves through the soil . Root hairs grow quickly, at least 1μm / min, making them particularly useful for research on cell expansion . </P>

What is the function of a root hair cell
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