Organization of Tissue Systems in Plant Organs
Plant tissues are organized into three tissue systems: dermal, vascular, and ground tissue systems.
(i) Dermal Tissue System
The dermal tissue system is made up of tissues that cover the surface of the plant and protect it. Epidermis serves as the outer layer for the young plant organs. In organs, which undergo secondary growth (stem and root), cork replaces the epidermis. Cork is made up of cork cells which are dead at maturity and the cell walls have been impregnated with waxes, lignin, and other compounds that make this a very strong barrier. cork is a component of the bark.
(ii) Vascular Tissue System
The vascular tissue system is responsible for circulating materials throughout the plant. It is made up of two types of tissues: xylem and phloem. These tissues are important for the conduction of food generated in the leaves to other parts of the plant (phloem) and water and minerals up from the roots (xylem).
(iii) Ground Tissue System
The tissue that is not made up of vascular or dermal tissues is called the ground tissue system. The tissues of the ground tissue system vary in function depend on location. It is often photosynthetic, while other parts contain support tissue (sclerenchyma).
In the picture below a young plant is illustrated with cross-sections through each plant organ.
To learn about the organization of the tissue sytems within plant organs click on the topics below. Once you have familiarized yourself with the general organizaton within the different organs then you are ready to begin your adventures into their anatomy, beginning with Lab #3.
Note that due to changes in the lecture schedule there has been a change in lab sequence