Justify the following statements on the basis of external features:
(i) Underground parts of a plant are not always roots.
(ii) Flower is a modified shoot.

(i) Underground parts of a plant are not always roots: There are certain plants like potato , ginger turmeric in which the stem is modified for the storage of the food and is found underground. In these, the stem becomes swollen due to storage of food. The potato bears eyes, which are subtended by a leaf scar. Basal leaves in onions become fleshy because of the accumulation of food and are found under the ground. Since stem, leaves can be modified to be found underground, we can say that the underground parts of the plant are not always roots.

(ii) Flower is a modified shoot: The shoot apical meristem changes to floral meristem. The axis of the stem gets condensed, while the internodes lie near each other. The apex produces different kinds of floral appendages laterally at successive nodes of the leaves. Instead of leaves, various floral appendages arise from the node. Therefore, the flower can be said to be a flower is a modified shoot.