Plant Tissue Systems

Key Ideas
As you read this section, keep these questions in mind:
• What three types of tissue are found in vascular plants?
• What is the dermal tissue system?
• What are two types of vascular tissue?
• What is ground tissue?
•
How is a Plant’s Body Organized
Like your body, a plant’s body is made of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
However, in plants, tissues are also arranged into tissue systems. The three tissue systems of
vascular plants are:
• The dermal tissue system
• The vascular tissue system
• The ground tissue system

What is Dermal Tissue?

Dermal tissue covers and protects a plant. The functions of the dermal tissue system
include:
• Protection
• Gas exchange
• Absorption of minerals

Dermal System Features

Feature Description Function
Epidermis A single layer of flat cells Covers and protects the plant
covering the nonwoody parts
of a plant.
Root hairs Hairlike extensions of Help the plant absorb water
epidermal cells covering root
tips.
Cork Several layers of dead cells Helps prevent water loss
covering woody stems and
roots.
Cuticle Coats the epidermis of leaves Helps protect the leaves and

Stomata (singular, stoma)
Guard cells
and nonwoody stems stem and prevents water loss
Tiny pores typically found on Allow gases, such as carbon
the surfaces leaves dioxide, oxygen, and water
vapor, to enter and leave the
plant.
A pair of cells that borders Open and close the stoma.
each stoma

What is Vascular Tissue?

Vascular tissue carries materials such as water, minerals, and organic compounds through a
plant. The minerals, and organic compounds through a plant. The cells that make up vascular
tissue are stacked end to end like sections of pipe. Vascular tissues let plants grow much taller
than plants that do not have vascular tissues. The two kinds of vascular tissue are xylem and
ploem.

Xylem

Xylem carries water and minerals from the roots up to the leaves. Xylem is made up of cells
called tracheids and vessel elements. These cells are dead, and only the cell walls remain. As a
result, water can pass through these cells easily.

Phloem

Phloem carries organic compounds, such as sugars, from the leaves to the rest of the plant.
Phloem is made up of sieve-tube members and companion cells. Sieve-tube members are
specialized for moving materials from one cell to the next. Companion cells carry out cellular
processes, such as respiration, for themselves and the sieve-tube members. Unlike the cells that
make up xylem, the cells that make up phloem are living.
What is Ground Tissue?
Much of the inside of the nonwoody parts of a plant is made up of ground tissue. Ground
tissue surrounds and supports vascular tissue.

Ground tissue contains many different cell types. Each type has a particular function
depending on where the cell is found in the plant. For example, the ground tissue in leaves is
made up of cells that have many chloroplasts. These cells are specialized for photosynthesis.
The ground tissue in stems and roots is specialized for support and storage of water and
nutrients. The cells of these ground tissues typically have large vacuoles for storage.

Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and

Winston