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xylem

(Science: plant biology) plant tissue in vascular plants that carries water and nutrients up from the roots to the shoot and leaves. Contains tracheids, vessels, fibre cells and parenchyma. Also provides structural support for the plant, especially in wood. The woody part of plants: the supporting and water-conducting tissue, consisting primarily of tracheids and vessels.A type of plant tissue that is responsible for the transportation of water through the plant, through a process known as the transpiration stream, which assists in the upward push of water up from the roots, defying gravity and reaching the leaves. Xylem are tube shaped in structure and their rigid nature also has a structural role within a plant by keeping the stalk of a plant rigid - enabling it to grow.