Vascular Tissue

and Cork Tissue

Agnes, Handersen, Viera
Vascular Tissue
 Complex tissue found in vascular plants
 Has 2 primary components: Xylem and Phloem
 Xylem
 Transport water &
minerals from roots to
stem and leaves.
 Thick, hard walls
 Present in stems, roots
and leaves
Xylem’s Structure
1. Tracheid  Transport water and mineral
 Mechanical support to plant
 Have pores called pits
 long and narrow tube with
hard, thick and lignified walls
 Found in pteridophytes &
gymnosperms
Xylem’s Structure
2. Vessel elements  Same function as
Tracheid
 Shorter and wider than
tracheid
 Found in angiosperms
 More efficient in water
conduction
Xylem’s Structure
3. Xylem parenchyma & Xylem fiber
 Provide structural support
Phloem
 Living tissue that
carries
organic nutrients.
(Sucrose) from leaves to
other parts of plant.
 Movement of sugars
and ions through
phloem is called
translocation
Phloem tissues consists of:
1. Conducting cells
2. Parenchyma cells
3. Supportive cells
 1. Conducting cells (sieve elements)
 simplified phloem and companion
cells:
1. Xylem
2. Phloem
3. Cambium
4. Pith
5. Companion Cells
 Transporting sugars throughout the
plant
 Long cell with thin cell walls
2. Parenchyme cells (companion cells)
 Carried out all cellular functions
of a sieve-tube element
 Located between sieve tubes
 Large number of ribosomes
and mitochondria
 Dense cytoplasm of a
companion cell is connected to
the sieve-tube element by
plasmodesmata.
Three types of companion cells
1. Ordinary companion cells
2. Transfer cells
3. Intermediary cells
3. Supportive cells
Fibres
 Long, narrow supportive cells
 Provide tension strength without limiting flexibility.

Sclereids
 Irregularly shaped cells
 Add compression strength but may reduce flexibility to
some extent.
 Serve as anti-herbivory structures(irregular shape and
hardness will increase wear on teeth as the herbivores chew)
Cork Tissue
 Protectother tissue from water loss
 Divided into 3 :

1. Exodermis
2. Endodermis
3. Periderm
 Exodermis
 Outermost layer of cortex of
many angiosperms.
 Compact cell and surrounded
by Casparian strip 
 Provide protection against
water loss of the root to the soil
& serve as defense against
microorganisms.
 Endodermis
 Found in the roots with
sponged cell wall.
 Deepest cell layers of cortex
( bark ) / outermost layer of
cells of the central cylinder
(stele).
 Young endodermis’ cell wall
composed of cellulose and is
elastic
 Adult endodermis’ cell wall
thickening(occur in form of
dots or ribbons of wood
substance)
Periderm
 Act as a protective covering like epidermis
 Divided into the following three sections:

1. Felogen
2. Felem
3. Feloderm
1. Felogen (Cambium Cork)
 Meristem
 Formed from living tissue, cortical parenchyma
which cells can turn into meristematic.
 Outwards felogen forms cork (felem) while
Inwards felogen forms feloderm
 Felem (Cork)
A layer of cork as a product of felogen which is
formed outwards.
3. Feloderm (parenchyma Cork)
 Almost homogeneous with cortical parenchyma
 Formed inward in the innermost layer.
 Contained stem lenticels.
THANKYOU