: a complex tissue in the vascular system of higher plants that consists of vessels, tracheids, or both usually together with wood fibers and parenchyma cells, functions chiefly in conduction of water and dissolved minerals but also in support and food storage, and typically constitutes the woody element (as of a plant stem) compare phloem
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebSome think immature cicadas, called nymphs, measure the 17-year time underground through the sap in a tree’s xylem. Ross Kenneth Urken, Scientific American, 14 June 2021 Drinking xylem would be a bit like drinking a 2-by-4 or as one of our staff more accurately opined, drinking your straw! Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 14 May 2021 The stems, branches and larger roots of these plants are reinforced with wood produced from secondary xylem. Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2021 Once in, the mistletoe squeezes its way around the host cells toward the tree’s plumbing, the xylem. Rachel Ehrenberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Dec. 2020 Sugars are transported up into the branches of trees traveling through the xylem in the springtime, not the phloem which is their normal pathway. Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2020 If the tree is still creating foliage, then water and nutrients are being transported from the roots to the tree canopy, so the phloem and xylem are still functional.oregonlive, 9 Feb. 2020 As water travels through the plants’ xylem tubes, which help keep them hydrated, air bubbles will form and explode, generating small vibrations. Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 2 Dec. 2019 The bacteria start in the leaf-tips and work their way into the trunks, blocking the xylem (the water-carrying arteries) and preventing the trees from absorbing water.The Economist, 21 Sep. 2019 See More