XYLEM

The first thing we are going to do in order to know the meaning of the term xylem is to establish its etymological origin. In this sense, we can say that it is a word that derives from the Greek, specifically, from the word “xylon”, which can be translated as “wood”.

The notion of xylem is used in the field of botany to name the tissue type leñoso that present in some plants, it has the function of moving minerals and water to different parts of the body.

The xylem is a tissue that has a high amount of lignin, a substance that contributes to the thickening of the stem. In the xylem, it is possible to recognize different elements, such as tracheids (a class of cell that conducts raw sap, the name of the fluid that carries xylem) and pits (sectors that favor cell communication).

The functions of the xylem are conduction and support. As for driving, it is the most important purpose of this fabric. Its mission is to carry the raw sap from the root to the rest of the plant.

This transfer of substances is carried out in two ways: by suction and by osmosis. Suction is generated when the water evaporates and the tissues absorb it from different walls. Faced with the different cohesion forces that H2O molecules have, there is a tension that enables movement from the roots to the leaves. Osmosis, on the other hand, allows the displacement of the water that is in the root towards the upper sector.

When talking about xylem, inevitably, the same is also done with phloem. It seems that they are two words that go together and that mentioning one means doing the same with the second.

Specifically, we can underline that phloem is a vascular type tissue that is responsible for proceeding, within the scope of biology and botany specifically, to conduct what are nutrients and sugars. Specifically, they transfer them from the organs that produce them to those that are responsible for storing and consuming them.

In addition to all the above, it should be mentioned that Xylem is also the name of a foundation. It is specifically a Spanish non-profit organization that originated in 2012 and which is in charge of assisting people who are at risk of social exclusion or who live in situations of maximum vulnerability.

In the north of Spain, exactly in the Navarra area, is where this foundation operates, whose objective is to achieve contributing to a much more humanized and also more supportive society. And it is that it promotes values ​​such as commitment, transparency, equality, trust or even what is the illusion.