Plants with Abundant Water

Normally plants drown if their roots are covered with water for too long.

• Why do plants die if their roots are covered with water for so long?

But it is possible for plants to survive in environments with too much water. Mangroves live in saline environments and cypress trees live in swamps. What these two plants have in common is that they have a modified root system that allows the roots to obtain oxygen. In mangroves, they are called stilt roots. In the cypress swamps they are called cypress knees.