Konrad Wothe / Looking up the roots of a Strangler / Curtain Fig Tree (Ficus virens) rainforest, Curtain Fig Tree NP, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia, October

Kim Taylor / Aerial root structure of Weeping Fig tree (Ficus benjamina). Asia

Murray Cooper / Mangrove (Rhizophora sp) aerial roots, Cayapas Mataje Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

Murray Cooper / Mangrove (Rhizophora sp) trees, Cayapas Mataje Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

Juergen Freund / White fig (Ficus virens) tree known as Curtain fig with curtain of aerial roots dropping 15m from trunk of tilting host tree. Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / White fig (Ficus virens) tree known as Cathedral Fig aged 500 years, view from below of aerial roots looking towards canopy. Danbulla National Park and State Forest, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, A...

Bruno D'Amicis / Aerial roots of tree near Cupeyal del Norte, Humboldt National Park, Guantanamo, Cuba

Bruno D'Amicis / Aerial roots of tree near Cupeyal del Norte, Humboldt National Park, Guantanamo, Cuba

Will Watson / Aerial roots of Crack Willow (Salix fragilis), kettle hole pond, Herefordshire, England, August.

Nigel Cattlin / Broad bean (Vicia faba) young plant with early leaves and roots, uprooted and germinated seed split to show food reserve.

Nigel Cattlin / Broad bean (Vicia faba), close up of roots and cross section of germinated seed to show food reserve.

Nigel Cattlin / Broad bean (Vicia faba), young plant with germinated seed, early leaves and roots, above and below ground.

Luis Quinta / Tree with aerial roots in equatorial rainforest, Principe Island, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf of Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Split level view blue starfish (Linckia laevigata) scattered in the shallow white sands and a mangrove tree with its numerous aerial root (Rhizophora sp), Nukubati Island Resort, Macuata Province, Fij...

Alex Hyde / Strangler fig (Ficus zarazalensis) aerial roots. In this instance the original host tree that the Strangler fig was climbing has been killed and rotted has away, leaving a hollow space in the middle....

Alex Hyde / Looking through the aerial roots of a Strangler fig (Ficus zarazalensis) the original host tree that the Fig was climbing has been killed and has rotted away, leaving a hollow space in the middle, spe...

Alex Hyde / Strangler fig (Ficus sp) huge aerial roots, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Alex Hyde / Strangler fig (Ficus sp) huge aerial roots, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Alex Hyde / RF - View of rainforest canopy through aerial roots of huge Stangler Fig (Ficus sp.). Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalt...

Alex Hyde / Strangler fig (Ficus sp) huge aerial roots, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Digitally stitched panoramic image.

Pascal Kobeh / Man standing at base of enormous tropical rainforest tree with aerial roots, French Guiana

Kevin Schafer / Aerial roots of Curtain fig tree (Ficus virens) Curtain Fig National Park, Yungaburra area, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia, December

Stefan Huwiler / Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) buttressed aerial roots. Ecuador, South America.

Stefan Huwiler / Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) buttressed aerial roots. Ecuador, South America.

Sandesh Kadur / A Khasi woman and children wash clothes along a stream. In the background is a living-root double-decker bridge in the background. These structures are created by entwining the aerial roots of the Fic...

Nick Upton / Aerial view of Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) following tractor harvesting sugar beet, Norfolk, UK, January.

Nick Upton / Aerial view of Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) following tractor harvesting sugar beet, Norfolk, UK, January.

Jouan & Rius / Mangrove tree (Rhizophora sp) with aerial roots exposed at low tide, Bako NP, Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia

Alex Hyde / Branching aerial roots of tree in tropical rainforest, Masoala Peninsula National Park, NE Madagascar.

Alex Hyde / Branching aerial roots of tree in tropical rainforest, Masoala Peninsula National Park, NE Madagascar.

Nick Garbutt / Aerial tree roots from within buttress. Lowland rainforest, Masoala National Park, Madagascar.

Nick Upton / Chinese banyan tee (Ficus microcarpa) with many prop roots supporting main trunk and aerial roots hanging from branches. Chaishan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Alan Watson / Pneumatophores (aerial roots) of Mangroves (Sonneratia caseolaris) with stilt-rooted mangroves (Rhizophora stylosa) behind, at low tide, Phang-Nga Bay, Ao Phang-Nga National Park, Phang-Nga Province,...

Alan Watson / Mangrove (Sonneratia alba) with pneumatophores (aerial roots) between Toliara and Ifaty, SW Madagascar, January 2009

Alan Watson / Aerial roots of a Strangler fig (Ficus sp) in lowland tropical rainforest, Coqui, Choc??partment, Pacific Coast, Colombia

Alan Watson / Aerial roots of a Strangler fig (Ficus sp) in lowland tropical rainforest, Coqui, Choc??partment, Pacific Coast, Colombia

Tim Laman / Aerial view of {Sonneratia sp} mangrove forest and adjacent mudflat at low tide, Lines of breathing roots are visible protruding from the mud radiating out from the trees. Bako National Park, Sarawak,...

Tim Laman / Aerial view of {Sonneratia sp} mangrove forest and adjacent mudflat at low tide, Lines of breathing roots are visible protruding from the mud radiating out from the trees. Bako National Park, Sarawak,...

Tim Laman / Aerial roots of Mangrove (Rhizophora apiculata) trees in the Virgin Jungle Reserve portion of the Matang mangrove forest. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006

Tim Laman / Aerial roots of Mangrove (Rhizophora apiculata) trees in the Virgin Jungle Reserve portion of the Matang mangrove forest. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006

Tim Laman / Aerial roots of Mangrove (Rhizophora apiculata) trees in the Virgin Jungle Reserve portion of the Matang mangrove forest. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006

Tim Laman / Aerial roots of Mangrove (Rhizophora apiculata) trees in the Virgin Jungle Reserve portion of the Matang mangrove forest. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006

Tim Laman / Roots of {Rhizophora apiculata} mangrove trees in a protected area of the Matang mangroves. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006

Tim Laman / Ferns grow amongst roots of (Rhizophora apiculata) mangrove trees in a protected area of the Matang mangroves. Taiping vicinity, Perak, Malaysia. May 2006