TOPIC: TRANSPORT SYSTEM

LESSON 13: REGIONS OF A STEM

ENG MANJONJO

TRUST ACADEMY
 OBJECTIVES

a. State the three regions of a stem.

 1. THE EPIDERMIS

• In young green plants, this is a single layer of closely packed cells.

• A waxy layer (the cuticle) covers the epidermis to reduce water loss.
• There may be epidermal hair.
• In woody stems, the epidermis is made up of several layers and forms
the bark of the plant.
 2. THE CORTEX

• The cells of the cortex that are just below the epidermis are tightly packed and the contain
chloroplasts.

• The stems of young plants can thus photosynthesis.

• The tightly packed cells strengthen the stems.
• The cortex cells that are found below this layer have thinner walls with air spaces between them.
• Organic food such as starch is stored here.
 THE CENTRAL PART

• In young stems of dicotyledonous plants, the vascular tissue is arranged a ring

of vascular bundles.
• In the vascular bundles, the xylem is found on the inside and the phloem on the
outside.
• A strip of cambium cells separate the xylem and the phloem.
• Secondary growth of vascular tissue can occur here.
• The pith consists of large thin-walled cells with air spaces in between so that
gases can be exchanged