[1]: 5 [2]: 1886 It consists of a bottle of transparent glass[3] or plastic[4] with two closely spaced flat, rectangular, parallel faces and a short neck; of such a design that the bottle can be laid down sideways, on one of those two faces, even when unstoppered and partially filled with a culture medium.This goal is achieved by having the neck narrowed,[3] offset,[5] partially blocked,[6][7] or canted (tilted).[3] A Roux bottle provides a large surface for the cells or microorganisms to grow, whether on the top of,[10] floating in,[11] or at the bottom of the medium.[13] The bottle is typically closed with a plug or cap that prevents contamination of the culture by spores from the outside, while still allowing exchange of gases generated or consumed by the organisms inside.[12] The bottle's invention has been attributed to French physician and Pasteur's collaborator Pierre Roux (1853-1933).
