Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: June 20, 2019
Do gymnosperm needles pull water through the xylem produced in the same year as the needle?
Clarisse Maton1, Barbara L Gartner
1Department of Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA.
Abstract:
This research investigated the longevity of functional connections between leaf traces and stem xylem in 16 species of conifers to better understand the spatial use of sapwood for water transport. The first question was which ring(s) stained when a vacuum was applied to the distal end of the cut surface of a needle attached to a short stem segment. The vacuum was applied to either 1- or 2-yr-old foliage taken from 4-6-yr-old saplings. The 16 species were then categorized based on the growth ring that most consistently stained when the vacuum was applied to the 2-yr-old needles. There were three distinct stain patterns for the evergreen conifers and one pattern for the deciduous conifers. Three evergreen species could not be categorized. The second question used needle fall data to ask whether the leaf trace appeared to break because of age or stem diameter in 5-yr-old Pseudotsuga menziesii saplings. An apparent threshold stem diameter at which needles tended to be shed was more related to diameter than age. These xylem connection patterns could affect leaf cohort physiology and the spatial pattern of water flux in sapwood.
More Related Videos
11:49Using High Resolution Computed Tomography to Visualize the Three Dimensional Structure and Function of Plant Vasculature
Published on: April 5, 2013
12:11Measurement of Leaf Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Conductance and Their Responses to Irradiance and Dehydration Using the Evaporative Flux Method (EFM)
Published on: December 31, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources
Meristems and Plant Growth
Seedless Vascular Plants
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
Non-vascular Seedless Plants
Water and Mineral Acquisition