Rice Stem Cross Section Under the Microscope
Rice Stem (Cross Section), Oryza sativa
This is a cross section of a rice stem stained with fast green. Rice grows in flooded fields, and its stem has large air spaces that carry oxygen down to the roots.
This cross section of a rice (Oryza sativa) stem is stained with Fast Green. The stem is hollow, with a large open space in the middle and a thin ring of tissue around it. Large air spaces called aerenchyma run through that ring. They let oxygen move from the leaves down to roots growing in flooded, low-oxygen soil. Small vascular bundles are scattered through the ring, each holding xylem tubes that carry water and phloem that carries food, and a thin epidermis covers the outside.
What to look for
- Hollow center: A large empty space in the middle of the stem.
- Air spaces (aerenchyma): Large holes in the tissue around the stem, which let air move through the plant.
- Vascular bundles: Small oval bundles arranged around the stem, with xylem and phloem.
- Bundle sheath: A ring of thick-walled cells around each bundle.
- Epidermis: The outer layer of small cells.
Questions and answers
Why does a rice stem have air spaces?
Rice grows with its roots in flooded, oxygen-poor soil. Large air spaces called aerenchyma let oxygen travel from the leaves down through the stem to the roots.
How is a rice stem like other grass stems?
Like wheat and other grasses, rice is a monocot with a hollow stem and vascular bundles with sheaths. The large air spaces are a special adaptation to living in water.
Compare it
- Category
- Botany & Plants
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Fast Green
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