Plant Organs: Stems
Chapter 7
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
• Describe three functions of stems
Stem Functions
• Support
• leaves and reproductive structures
• Conduct
• water, dissolved minerals, carbohydrates
• Produce new living tissues
• at apical meristems
• at lateral meristems (secondary growth)
Variation in Stems
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
• Relate the functions of each tissue in
an herbaceous stem
Tissues in Herbaceous Stems 1
• Epidermis
• protective outer layer
• covered by water-conserving cuticle
• Vascular tissues
• Xylem conducts water and dissolved minerals
• phloem conducts dissolved carbohydrates
(sucrose)
Tissues in Herbaceous Stems 2
• Storage tissues
• Cortex and pith
• ground tissue
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
• Contrast the structures of an
herbaceous eudicot stem and a
monocot stem
Herbaceous Eudicot Stems
• Have vascular bundles arranged in a
circle (in cross section)
• Have a distinct cortex and pith
Monocot Stems
• Have scattered vascular bundles
• Have ground tissue instead of distinct
cortex and pith
Monocot Stems
Epidermis Ground Vascular
tissue bundles
Ground
tissue
Phloem
Xylem
Air
space
Bundle
sheath
Corn (a) Cross section of (b) Close-up of a vascular bundle.
seedling a corn (Zea mays) The air space is where the first xylem
stem, showing the elements formed. The entire bundle is
scattered vascular enclosed in a bundle sheath of
bundles. sclerenchyma for additional support.
Fig. 7-4, p. 134
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
• Distinguish between the structures of
stems and roots
Differences Between
Stems and Roots 1
• Unlike roots, stems have nodes and
internodes, leaves and buds
• Unlike stems, roots have root caps and
root hairs
KEY TERMS
• NODE
• Area on a stem where one or more leaves is
attached; stems have nodes, but roots do not
• INTERNODE
• Stem area between two successive nodes
KEY TERMS
• BUD
• An undeveloped shoot that contains an
embryonic meristem
• May be terminal (at tip of stem) or axillary (on
side of stem)
A Woody Twig
Terminal
Bud scale bud
One year’s
growth
Terminal bud scale scars Node
Internode
Axillary bud
Leaf scar Node
Lenticels
Terminal bud
scale scars
Bundle scars
Fig. 7-2, p. 131
Differences Between
Stems and Roots 2
• Internally
• herbaceous roots possess an endodermis
and pericycle
• stems lack a pericycle and rarely have an
endodermis
Differences Between
Stems and Roots
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5
• Outline the transition from primary
growth to secondary growth in a woody
stem
• List the two lateral meristems, and
describe the tissues that arise from
each
Primary
Growth:
Eudicot
Vascular
bundles
Pith
Cortex
Epidermis
(a) Cross section of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
stem, showing the organization of tissues. The vascular
Sunflower bundles are arranged in a circle.
Epidermis
Cortex
Phloem
Vascular bundle
Pith ray
fiber cap
Phloem
Vascular
cambium
Xylem
Vessel
element
Pith
(b) Close-up of a vascular bundle. The xylem is toward the stem’s
interior, and the phloem toward the outside. Each vascular bundle
is “capped” by a batch of fibers for additional support. Fig. 7-3, p. 132
KEY TERMS
• VASCULAR CAMBIUM
• A lateral meristem that produces secondary
xylem (wood) to the inside and secondary
phloem (inner bark) to the outside
Secondary Growth
• Occurs in woody eudicots and conifers
• Produced by vascular cambium
• between primary xylem and primary phloem
Vascular Cambium 1
• Is not initially a solid cylinder of cells
• becomes continuous when production of
secondary tissues begins
Vascular Cambium 2
• Certain parenchyma cells between
vascular bundles
• retain ability to divide
• connect to vascular cambium cells in each
vascular bundle
• form a complete ring of vascular cambium
Dividing Vascular Cambium
1X2X3X4X 2P1P
1X 2X3X 2P1P
1X2X 2P1P
Time
Secondary xylem Secondary phloem
1X2X 1P
Second division of vascular
cambium forms a phloem cell.
1X 1P
Division of vascular cambium forms
1X two cells, one xylem cell and one
vascular cambium cell.
Vascular cambium cell when
secondary growth begins.
Vascular cambium cell
Fig. 7-6, p. 136
KEY TERMS
• CORK CAMBIUM
• A lateral meristem that produces cork
parenchyma to the inside and cork cells to the
outside
• Cork cambium and the tissues it produces
make up the outer bark of a woody plant
Cork Cambium
• Arises near the stem’s surface
• Is either a continuous cylinder of dividing
cells or a series of overlapping arcs of
meristematic cells that form from
parenchyma cells in successively deeper
layers of the cortex and, eventually,
secondary phloem
Development:
Woody
Eudicot
Primary
xylem Epidermis
Cortex
Primary
phloem
Vascular cambium
Pith
(a) At the onset of secondary growth, vascular cambium arises in the
parenchyma between the vascular bundles (that is, in the pith rays), forming
a cylinder of meristematic tissue (blue circle in cross section).
Fig. 7-5a, p. 135
Remnant Remnant
of cortex of epidermis
Remnant
of primary
phloem Secondary phloem
(inner bark)
Secondary xylem
(wood)
Periderm
(outer bark)
Remnant of Remnant Vascular
primary xylem of pith cambium
(b) Vascular cambium begins to divide, forming secondary xylem on the inside
and secondary phloem on the outside.
Fig. 7-5b, p. 135
Periderm
(outer bark; remnants of
primary phloem, cortex,
and epidermis are gradually
Secondary xylem crushed or torn apart and
(wood) slough off)
Secondary phloem
(inner bark)
Remnant of Remnant of Vascular
primary xylem pith cambium
(c) A young woody stem. Vascular cambium produces more secondary xylem
than secondary phloem.
Fig. 7-5c, p. 135
3-Year-Old Stem
Pith Primary xylem
Annual ring of
secondary xylem
Secondary xylem (wood)
(a) LM of cross section of
basswood (Tilia Vascular cambium
americana) stem. Note the
location of the vascular Secondary phloem
cambium between the Periderm and remnants of primary
secondary xylem (wood) phloem, cortex, and epidermis
and secondary phloem Expanded phloem ray
(inner bark).
Xylem ray
Remains of Cork Cork
epidermis cambium
Expanded
phloem ray
(b) Sketch of a pie- Cortex
shaped segment of the Secondary phloem
cross section. The
Vascular cambium
primary phloem is not Secondary xylem (third year)
labeled because it is
crushed beyond Xylem rays
recognition. Secondary xylem (first year)
Primary xylem
Pith
Fig. 7-7, p. 137
Onset of Secondary Growth
Cortex
Phloem
fiber cap
Primary phloem
Secondary phloem
Vascular cambium
Secondary xylem
Primary xylem
Cross section
of twig Vascular Pith
cambium
Fig. 7-8, p. 138
Variation in Bark
Lenticels
Lenticel
Cork
cells
Cork
cambium
and cork
parenchyma
Calico flower (phelloderm)
Fig. 7-10, p. 141
Heartwood and Sapwood
Heartwood
Sapwood
Fig. 7-11, p. 141
Tree-Ring Dating
Pith Annual rings
Bark
Tilia
(basswood)
Long, slender core of wood
extracted by a boring tool
Vascular
Outer cambium Pith
Annual rings
bark
Sample from a living tree
1950 1940 1932
Outermost ring is Sample from a dead tree
the year when the in the same forest
tree was cut.
1940 1932 1931 1926
Matching and overlapping older and Sample from an old
older wood sections extends dates building in the same
back in time area as the forest
1931 1926 1920 1918 p. 143
Annual Rings
Secondary
phloem
Vascular cambium
Late
summerwood
Annual
ring of
xylem
Springwood
Cross section
of 3-year-old
Tilia stem Late summerwood
of preceding year
Fig. 7-12, p. 144
Sections
Annual (a) Cross section Ray
rings (c) Radial section
(b) Tangential section
Rays Annual
Annual Rays rings
rings
Fig. 7-13, p. 144
KEY TERMS
• DEFORESTATION
• The temporary or permanent clearance of
large expanses of forests for agriculture or
other uses
Rain Forest Distribution
KEY TERMS
• VINE
• A plant with a long, thin, often climbing stem
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 6
• Contrast the various stems that are
specialized for asexual reproduction
KEY TERMS
• RHIZOME
• A horizontal underground stem that often
serves as a storage organ and a means of
sexual reproduction
• Example: iris
A Rhizome
Rhizome
Adventitious
roots
Fig. 7-14a, p. 147
KEY TERMS
• TUBER
• The thickened end of a rhizome that is fleshy
and enlarged for food storage
• Example: white potato
A Tuber
Rhizome
Tuber
Roots
Fig. 7-14b, p. 147
KEY TERMS
• BULB
• A rounded, fleshy underground bud that
consists of a short stem with fleshy leaves
• Example: onion
A Bulb
Bulb Fleshy
leaves
Stem
Adventitious
roots
Fig. 7-14c, p. 147
KEY TERMS
• CORM
• A short, thickened underground stem
specialized for food storage and asexual
reproduction
• Example: crocus
A
Corm
Axillary bud
Leaf scars
Corm
(modified
stem)
Old corm
(last year’s)
Adventitious
roots Fig. 7-14d, p. 147
KEY TERMS
• STOLON
• An aerial horizontal stem with long internodes;
often forms buds that develop into separate
plants
• Example: strawberry
Stolons
New Scale leaf
shoot (at node)
Stolon
Adventitious (runner)
roots
Fig. 7-14e, p. 147
Animation: Layers in a Woody
Stem
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Animation: Growth in a
Walnut Twig
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Animation: Annual Rings
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