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Stems
Stems have two main functions: supporting the plant and transporting energy-rich food, water, and nutrients throughout the plant. Stems can differ in appearance and capabilities based on the habitat the plant has adapted to.
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How Stems Support Plants
Kale stems are strong and fibrous. They support large edible leaves. Photo by Max Tepper. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Stems support the leaves so they can absorb sunlight through photosynthesis and store energy. Stems also support flowers and fruits. Stems stay strong and rigid enough to support these plant parts through processes at the cellular level.
Like all living things, plants are made of cells. In plants, as in humans, these cells form tissues, which then form organs (leaves, stems, and roots). Stems have bundles of fibrous cells that are long and flexible, allowing them to stay strong while bending in the wind.
Another way cells in the stem support the plant is turgor pressure, when a plant’s cells fill up with water and push out on their cell walls, making the whole cell rigid. The combined strength and pressure of the water in the cells help keep the plant upright and strong. This is especially important for plants, like tomato plants, that don’t have woody stems. You can often tell when a plant needs water because it starts to wilt. Then, if the plant gets more water through its roots, the stem delivers it to the empty cells so they can fill up and make the plant strong again.
