vessel elements
Xylem tube cells
Vessel elements are the individual cells that stack end-to-end to form vessels in flowering plants, the tubes that conduct water and minerals from roots to leaves.
Unlike the tracheids found in more primitive plants, vessel elements have perforated end walls that allow water to flow freely between cells.
When mature, they die and lose their contents, becoming hollow conduits: The vessel elements in oak wood are visible as tiny pores in the grain.
- xylemPlant water conduit
- conductionHeat transfer through contact
- botanyScience of flora
- angiospermsPlants producing covered seeds
- flowering plantsSeed-bearing plants with blooms
lignin · pitted · lignification · perforation · dicotyledons · plant anatomy · cambium · meristems · cell types · heartwood · sapwood · vascular tissue · tubes · columns · stems · water · transport · dead cells