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Wood Parts and Anatomy
Taking a Closer Look at Wood
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What Have We Learned So Far?
In the this section, we talked about the following terms:
* Phloem
* Cambium
* Rays
* Xylem
* Fibers
* Vessels
We also talked about the following concepts:
* Phloem is located just inside the bark, and is commonly called inner bark.
* Like bark, phloem is not really wood!
* Phloem carries sugar from the leaves to the rest of the tree.
* Cambium is located just underneath the phloem.
* Cambium makes new phloem on the outside, and new xylem on the inside.
* Rays radiate inward from the cambium to the center of the tree.
* Rays move sap to the center parts of the tree.
* Rays can cause dark or light discolorations in wood.
* Xylem is located just inside the cambium.
* All wood, including heartwood and sapwood, is made up of xylem.
* Xylem is made up of long, skinny, straw-like cells called fibers.
* Vessels are large water-carrying cells that run parallel to xylem fibers.
* Hardwoods have vessels; softwoods do not.
* Sometimes the cells next to vessels grow into the vessels, blocking them off.
* If the vessels are plugged you can't blow bubbles through them. ;^>
Well, that sums up our the second part of our Wood Parts and Anatomy lesson. Now it's time to take the great BIG ....
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