Vascular System | Botany, Xylem, Phloem, Importance ... - Britannica

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• Michigan State University - Plant Vascular System Development

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vascular system, in vascular plants, assemblage of conducting tissues and associated supportive fibres that transport nutrients and fluids throughout the plant body. The two primary vascular tissues are xylem, which transports water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the leaves, and phloem, which conducts food from the leaves to all parts of the plant. Most extant plants on Earth have vascular systems, including the lower vascular plants (lycophytes and ferns), gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

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Discrete clusters of xylem and phloem tissues, known as vascular bundles, run longitudinally along the stem. The vascular system of monocots (e.g., grasses) consists of vascular bundles scattered across the stem, while the vascular system of dicots (e.g., roses) features vascular tissues that surround a central pith. Vascular rays extend radially across the stem, assisting in conduction from the vascular bundles to tissues alongside them.

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Several kinds of vascular bundles are recognized. In the collateral pattern, the phloem lies only on one side of the xylem, usually toward the stem exterior. This arrangement is typical of the dicots, the majority of flowering plants, such as roses, apples, and oaks. If phloem is on the outer and inner faces of the xylem, the bundle is bicollateral. A concentric bundle has xylem entirely surrounded by phloem (amphicribal condition) or phloem entirely surrounded by xylem (amphivasal condition). Closed bundles lack cambium and are unable to continue growth laterally. They are typical of monocots, such as grasses, lilies, and palms, in which they are scattered in two or more rings in the stem.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.