a. [T]he reins of their (Moors) horses were as fire, their faces black as pitch, their eyes shone like burning candles, their horses were swift as leopards and the riders fiercer than a wolf in a sheepfold at night . . .
Appearance. A taproot has a main root, similar in appearance to a carrot, which is also a taproot. In most cases, smaller, auxiliary roots grow laterally all along the main taproot. A fibrous root system is a mass of small roots, with an appearance of a mass of fibers. It can resemble a bird's nest or a ball of yarn. The roots are typically only a few inches long and branch frequently, similar to the canopy of a tree.
Taproots generally grow more deeply into the soil than do fibrous roots (Esau 1976). Unlike the taproot system, the fibrous root system is made up of thin, stringy roots that all have about the same diameter. These roots branch several times and form a complex mat under the plant that binds to the upper soil layers.