Plant Anatomy

science · plants · cells · biology

Secret structure inside. Plant anatomy is all about what you cannot see without a microscope, like the millions of tiny cells and special tubes inside leaves, stems, and roots that help plants grow and survive.

Tubes that transport. Plants have two main kinds of tubes running through them: one carries water and minerals from the roots up to the leaves, and the other carries food made by the leaves down to feed the rest of the plant.

Changed in the mid-1900s. Scientists used to study both what plants looked like on the outside and inside, but around the 1950s they decided to split it into two fields, so plant anatomy became just about the inside structure.

Sliced and studied. To see plant anatomy, scientists carefully slice plants into super thin sections and look at them under microscopes to understand how the tiny cells are arranged and what jobs they do.

Explains how plants live. By studying plant anatomy, scientists can figure out why some plants are tough and dry, why others are squishy, and how different plants adapted to live in deserts, rainforests, or your backyard.