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A vessel element or vessel member (also called a xylem vessel) [1] is one of the cell types found in xylem, the water conducting tissue of plants. Vessel elements are found in most angiosperms (flowering plants) and in some gymnosperms such as cycads and Ephedra, but absent in conifers. Vessel elements are the main feature distinguishing the ...
The most distinctive xylem cells are the long tracheary elements that transport water. Tracheids and vessel elements are distinguished by their shape; vessel elements are shorter, and are connected together into long tubes that are called vessels. [6] Xylem also contains two other type of cells: parenchyma and fibers. [7] Xylem can be found:
Angiosperms have both tracheids and vessel elements. [1] A tracheid is a long and tapered lignified cell in the xylem of vascular plants. It is a type of conductive cell called a tracheary element. Angiosperms use another type of conductive cell, called vessel elements, to transport water through the xylem.
Lignin fills the spaces in the cell wall between cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin components, especially in vascular and support tissues: xylem tracheids, vessel elements and sclereid cells. [citation needed] Lignin plays a crucial part in conducting water and aqueous nutrients in plant stems.
Vascular tissue is a complex conducting tissue, formed of more than one cell type, found in vascular plants. The primary components of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem. These two tissues transport fluid and nutrients internally. There are also two meristems associated with vascular tissue: the vascular cambium and the cork cambium.
The phloem is the living portion of the vascular system of a plant, and serves to move sugars and photosynthate from source cells to sink cells. Phloem tissue is made of sieve elements and companion cells, and is surrounded by parenchyma cells. The sieve element cells work as the main player in transport of phloem sap.
The primary distinguishing feature lies in the presence of vessel elements, also referred to as pores, which are characteristic of hardwoods and absent in softwoods. Despite these disparities, softwoods and hardwoods share a cellular similarity – the majority of cells are non-living at maturity, even within the sapwood.
Sieve elements are specialized cells that are important for the function of phloem, which is a highly organized tissue that transports organic compounds made during photosynthesis. Sieve elements are the major conducting cells in phloem. Conducting cells aid in transport of molecules especially for long-distance signaling.