Plant Structures – Stems
The stem is like a plant’s bridge, connecting the root system to the upper parts of the plant. It has a few key jobs.
One of its main roles is to offer support and elevate the leaves. This helps the leaves spread out and soak up as much sunlight as possible for photosynthesis.
Some plants, like tomatoes, beans, peppers, and herbs, have thin, green stems that can bend easily. These are called herbaceous stems. Their green color comes from chloroplasts in their cells, which are crucial for photosynthesis.
But not all stems are flexible. Take trees, for instance. They need to support a lot more weight, so they have thick, sturdy stems covered in a protective bark. These are called woody stems and you’ll find them in many shrubs too. Woody stems are usually brown, and unlike herbaceous stems, their cells don’t contain chloroplasts.
But stems aren’t just for support and transport. They also contain the plant’s vascular tissue. The xylem vessels in the stem carry water and minerals from the roots up to the leaves. The phloem vessels transport food from the leaves to all other parts of the plant.
And there’s one more job stems can have – storage. For instance, bamboo and sugarcane plants store food in their stems, while many types of cacti store water in their stems to survive in arid environments.
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