(vessel member) A tracheary cell in the * xylem of some ferns, most angiosperms, and the Gnetales, characterized by the presence of a * perforation plate and a lignified secondary cell wall and lacking a living protoplast at maturity. Vessel elements are joined end to end to form * vessels , their end walls having broken down to give the perforation plates. Vessel elements are generally shorter and broader than tracheids and also differ in having perforation plates and often different types of wall pitting. |
