Vessel
Definition
A conducting cell in hardwood (angiosperm) xylem, visible on a cross-section as a pore. Vessel arrangement, diameter, grouping, and wall features are primary identification characters.
- Cell type
- Conducting cell in hardwood (angiosperm) xylem
- Cross-section view
- Appears as a pore
- ID characters
- Arrangement, diameter, grouping, wall features
- Absent in
- Softwoods (conifers), which use tracheids instead
Common questions
Why does the presence of vessels matter in timber identification?+
Presence or absence of vessels is the primary character separating hardwood from softwood, which matters in cases involving illegal logging or species substitution where the wood type itself is in dispute.
How does a vessel differ from a vessel element?+
A vessel element is a single cell; a vessel is the continuous tube formed when many vessel elements join end to end through their perforation plates.
Related terms
- IAWA Feature List
- A standardized set of coded anatomical characters published by the International Association of Wood Anatomists for hardwoods (1989) and softwoods (2004), used...
- InsideWood
- A peer-reviewed online database at North Carolina State University containing anatomical descriptions and photomicrographs for over 10,000 hardwood species, used as a...
- Parenchyma
- Thin-walled, roughly spherical or elongated cells that form the bulk of soft plant tissues, including the leaf mesophyll. They are the most...
- Ray
- A ribbon of cells running radially (outward from the centre) through wood, carrying materials horizontally and storing starch. Ray width (in cell...
- Ring-Porous vs Diffuse-Porous
- In ring-porous woods, large vessels form a distinct band in early wood and smaller vessels in late wood. In diffuse-porous woods, vessel...