| Stems differ between gymnosperms (conifers and related plants) and angiosperms (flowering plants) and between the two divisions of angiosperms—monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Common to all of them, though, are basic tissue types: vascular tissue (xylem and phloem), which conducts water and nutrients to the cells of the plant; ground tissue, called pith at the center of the stem, which surrounds the vascular tissue; and dermal tissue, a protective layer. |