Xylem

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/xylem

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary tissue type?A complex tissue composed of tracheary elements, parenchyma, and fibers
2. What is the discoverer?The term 'xylem' was introduced by Carl Nägeli in 1858
3. What is xylem and why is it important for plants?Xylem is a special tissue that carries water and minerals from the roots up to the leaves. It helps plants stay tall and strong and lets them make food with sunlight.
4. How does xylem move water inside a plant?Xylem cells are like tiny straws that pull water upward. They have strong walls that keep them from collapsing while the water moves against gravity.

Vascular Bundle: A strand containing xylem and phloem, responsible for transport within plants.
Cohesion-Tension Theory: Explains water transport in plants via transpiration pull and water molecule cohesion.
Lignification: The process by which cell walls become strengthened and waterproofed with lignin.