Plants have two types of vascular tissues called xylem and phloem. Xylem transport water and minerals from roots to leaves. Most the gymnosperms lack these vessels and they have tracheids. Each tracheid is an elongated, dead cell with lignified walls, and intact end walls.
Water travels upward through two paths: -
i) Along the cell wall.
ii) Through the cells.
Uptake of water and minerals by Root:
• First of all root hairs absorbs water and minerals from soil.
• Water from soil, move towards root through osmosis.
• The entry of water into the root hairs dilutes its sap.
• Now sap of root hair is more than next cell. So water from hairs move into the
root cells.
• The water from the epidermal cells then passes into the xylem vessel and
ascends up the stem.
• This upward movement of water and salts is called ascent of sap.