vascular bundle
Vascular bundles are tissues specialized on the transport of water, nutrients, and assimilate. They typically consist of elongated cells which constitute a tubular system connecting
roots and
leaves. Xylem and phloem are the most important tissues. In the xylem, water is transported from the
roots to the
leaves. It mainly consists of dead lignified cells (vessel elements and tracheids, respectively). The phloem transports assimilate from the
leaves to cells or storage organs. It consists mainly of living not-lignified cells (e. g. sieve tube members). Vascular bundles, e. g. in the
leaf veins, are regularly associated with
sclerenchyma, often as
sclerenchymatous sheaths or
sclerenchymatous strands.
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