Water and minerals are transported up through the plant stem in xylem vessels. Xylem is a tissue consisting of dead, hollowed-out cells that form a system of pipes.

In a mature flowering plant or tree, most of the cells that make up the xylem are specialised cells called vessels.

Once in the xylem tissue, water moves easily over long distances in these open tubes (Figure 5). There are two kinds of conducting elements (i.e., transport tubes) found in the xylem: 1 ...