Water and nutrients flow through conductive tissues (xylem and phloem) in plants just as the bloodstream distributes nutrients throughout the bodies of animals. The word "xylem" is derived from the Greek word ξύλον (xylon), meaning "wood"; the best-known xylem tissue is wood, though it is found throughout a plant. Together, xylem and phloem tissues form the vascular system of plants. Vascular Tissue. Vascular tissue is a complex conducting tissue, formed of more than one cell type, found in vascular plants.The primary components of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem.These two tissues transport fluid and nutrients internally. Plants contain special structures called vascular tissues that help in the transport of water and essential nutrients. Xylem and phloem in stems. The hormones start the active division and differentiation of meristem cells, which give a functional path to start the synthesis of cambium. Xylem tissue transports water and dissolved minerals to the leaves, and phloem tissue conducts food from the leaves to all parts of the plant.. The LibreTexts libraries are Powered by MindTouch® and are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. There is a group of undifferentiating cells between xylem and phloem called cambium and cork cambium that can divide. Tissue Processing & Distribution LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. 912 Northwest Highway Fox River Grove, IL 60021 USA. A vascular plant is any one of a number of plants with specialized vascular tissue.The two types of vascular tissue, xylem and phloem, are responsible for moving water, minerals, and the products of photosynthesis throughout the plant. Despite the fact that their cytoplasm is actively involved in the conduction of food materials, sieve-tube members do not have nuclei at maturity. The vascular tissue then transports it up through the stem and into the leaves. Phloem is responsible for transporting sugars, proteins, and other organic molecules in plants. The cells contain lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. It increases the thickness of plants by developing their wooden parts. The growth of cambium is seasonal, which later helps form vascular rings in plants. This helps in the secondary growth major acting on stems and roots. The vascular cambium does not help in the transport of minerals, sugar, and water like secondary xylem and phloem; however, it gives rise to other tissue development in plants. From the end of each vein, water and minerals can diffuse into the cells of the leaf. The first fossils that show the presence of vascular tissue date to the Silurian period, about 430 million years ago. This allows the growth of xylem cells inside the plant, and phloem starts forming outside the plant. The tissue consists of vessel elements, conducting cells, known as tracheids, and supportive filler tissue, called parenchyma. Thus, xylem acts as a passage for the transport of water as it carries major and minor minerals from the soil along with it and transports it through the plant. Vascular tissue in a dicotyledonous plant The side walls are thick and reinforced with lignin, which makes them stiff and water proof. There are two different types of vascular tissues, called xylem and phloem. In dicots, woody plants like oak and pine, the vascular tissue is associated with cambium, which supports the growth of secondary tissues. In eudicots, vascular bundles are arranged in a ring within the stem. 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