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Sieve cells are long, conducting cells in the phloem that do not form sieve tubes. The major difference between sieve cells and sieve tube members is the lack of sieve plates in sieve cells. [1] They have a very narrow diameter and tend to be longer in length than sieve tube elements as they are generally associated with albuminous cells. [4]
All of the cellular functions of a sieve-tube element are carried out by the (much smaller) companion cell, a typical nucleate plant cell except the companion cell usually has a larger number of ribosomes and mitochondria. The dense cytoplasm of a companion cell is connected to the sieve-tube element by plasmodesmata. [10]
Sieve tube; Companion cell; Phloem fiber; Phloem parenchyma. Phloem is an equally important plant tissue as it also is part of the 'plumbing system' of a plant. Primarily, phloem carries dissolved food substances throughout the plant. This conduction system is composed of sieve-tube member and companion cells, that are without secondary walls.
Plasmodesmata are also used by cells in phloem, and symplastic transport is used to regulate the sieve-tube cells by the companion cells. [citation needed] The size of molecules that can pass through plasmodesmata is determined by the size exclusion limit. This limit is highly variable and is subject to active modification. [5]
The movement in phloem is multi-directional, unlike in xylem cells, where the flow is upwards only. Because of this multi-directional flow, coupled with the fact that sap cannot easily move between adjacent sieve tubes, it is not unusual for sap in adjacent sieve tubes to flow in opposite directions.
The cells in vascular tissue are typically long and slender. Since the xylem and phloem function in the conduction of water, minerals, and nutrients throughout the plant, it is not surprising that their form should be similar to pipes. The individual cells of phloem are connected end-to-end, just as the sections of a pipe might be.
The fascicular and interfascicular cambia thus join up to form a ring (in three dimensions, a tube) which separates the primary xylem and primary phloem, the cambium ring. The vascular cambium produces secondary xylem on the inside of the ring, and secondary phloem on the outside, pushing the primary xylem and phloem apart.
There is also a tissue between xylem and phloem, which is the cambium. The xylem typically lies towards the axis ( adaxial ) with phloem positioned away from the axis ( abaxial ). In a stem or root this means that the xylem is closer to the centre of the stem or root while the phloem is closer to the exterior.