Under the backdrop of the new century, water bioengineering has come under the spotlight as a highly favored solution to waterway problems, an ecological flood control measure, and a sustainable river revitalization technique. While most studies have been focused on the aboveground part of aquatic and terricolous plants, the hidden roots are usually investigated from a botanical point of view, or about exploring the effect of plants on the geotechnical properties of the surrounding soil out of engineering interest. Works exploring the biomechanics of root anchorage of riparian plants remain limited. In this work, through laboratory pull-out experiments, the mechanics of asymmetric and symmetric root structures of willow cuttings is quantified to understand the resistance of plants to hydrodynamic forces. This could be further extended to represent windthrow or uprooting by flow. We hereby anticipate some first results and put forward the prospect of relevant applications.