Complex Permanent Tissues - Phloem (Bast)
- The term ‘phloem’ was given by Nageli.
- Phloem is responsible for transportation of food from source to sink.
- The organ where food is synthesised or stored is called source. Leaves act as a sink for a considerable period. In some plants, the roots act as sink during autumn period.
- The organ where food is utilized, such as roots, flowers, fruits, branches, etc. are called sink.
- On the basis of position, the phloem is of two types:
- External phloem: It is the usual phloem present outside the xylem.
- Internal or intraxylary phloem: It is present internal to the xylem. It is seen in the members of Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae.
- Induced or Interxylary phloem: It is the secondary phloem that occurs in patches within the secondary xylem. For example, Leptadaenia, Salvadora, Chenopodium, Boerhaavia, Amaranthus.
- On the basis of origin, phloem is of two types:
- Primary phloem: It develops from the procambium during the primary growth. In some plants, it shows differentiation into protophloem (sieve elements and parenchyma) and metaphloem (sieve elements, parenchyma and fiber) that develops later.
- Secondary Phloem: It develops from the vascular cambium during secondary growth. It is made up of the following types of cells:
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Internal or intraxylary phloem is present internal to the xylem. It is seen in the members of Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae.
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