Xylem transports water from the roots of a plant to the leaves. It does so through a passive process, negative water pressure created by transpiration in the leaves pulls water up from the roots through the xylem, similar to the action water moving up a paper towel when one corner of a  paper towel is placed in a pool of water. Xylem cells are dead at maturity so they cannot perform photosynthesis. Sugars are transported by phloem (from the leaves to other areas of the plant). Stomata are structures that facilitate gas exchange.

Xylem is a type of tissue present in vascular plants that is responsible for water transport within the organism. Types of cells contained within xylem include tracheids, vessel elements, parenchyma cells, and fibers.

The transport of water through xylem in plants includes the upward movement of water. The forces of transpirational pull and root pressure are responsible for counteracting gravity and producing water’s upward movement. Transpirational pull is defined as the surface tension caused by water evaporation that pulls water upward through xylem. Root pressure is characterized by the difference in water potential between the soil and plant, causing water to travel into plant roots.

Tracheids are elongated cells that are contained within xylem tissue. Tracheids are responsible for water and mineral transport. The thick cell walls of tracheids allow them to hold water against gravitational pull due to the adhesion property of water.

Vessel elements are a cell type contained within xylem tissue of angiosperms. Vessel elements aid in the transport of water and minerals. Morphologically, vessel elements are described as hollow tubular cells that have thick cell walls and are open at both ends.

Phloem is a type of tissue in vascular plants that transports organic nutrients. Among other components, phloem contains sieve elements, parenchyma cells, and supportive cells.

Vessel elements are cells in phloem tissue that are technically dead. Upon maturation, the living material in the cells disappears while the cell wall remains; the cells are dead; however, sieve tube elements contain living tissue.

Companion cells are a type of specialized parenchyma cells in vascular plants. They contain a large number of ribosomes and mitochondria and perform cellular functions for sieve-tube elements, which they are connected to by plasmodesmata.

Xylem are water-conducting cells that transport water and nutrients. They die at maturity and leave behind secondary walls. Phloem transports sugars through sieve-tube elements, but do not have nuclei, ribosomes, and vacuoles. However, phloem remains alive at maturity. 

Plants grow so as to maximize the elongation of their stems as much as possible. Cells on the lighter side of the stem are already being provided with photosynthetic energy, while cells on the darker side are receiving less of this energy input. This causes the cells on the darker side to elongate toward the energy source. When one side of the stem is longer than the other, it causes a curve in the growth, resulting in a directionality of the growth of the stem.