Vascular Plants

Vascular plants also known as tracheophytes are a large group of plants that have a xylem and phloem for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant.
Looking under a microscope we can see the roots, stem and leaves of vascular plants.
Roots
Roots have 4 major functions in serving a plant, 1) The absorbtion of water and nutrients, 2) Supporting and anchoring the plant in the ground, 3) storage of food and nutrients, and 4) in some cases producing vegetation.
The specialized structures that allow roots to perform these functions are the xylem and phloem. The xylem being the tube that transports water and the phloem being the tube that transports nutrients, sugars, and amnio acids.

Magnification : Medium

Stems
Stems have 4 major functions in serving the plant, 1) Support for the leaves/flowers, 2)Transport of fluids from the roots to leaves, 3)storage of nutrients, 4)Production of new living tissue.
The difference between woody stems and herbaceous are that woody stems are above ground and covered in thick bark. They are adapted to survive from one year to the next. Woody plants form new tissue each year.
Herbaceous plant are plants that die down after the growing season. They die completely when they have flowered or fruited and then grow again from seed.



Leaves
The major function of the leaf is for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy into chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar. The formula for photosynthesis is 6CO₂ + 6H₂O (+ light energy) C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O_{2. The stoma is used to control gas exchange. Air containing oxygen and carbon dioxide are enters the plant though this opening and is used in photosynthesis. Which obviosuly benefits both the human and the plant.} 

Magnification: high