Expert: Walter Hintz - 7/22/2005

Question
please could you answer this asap!
i understand how plants suck up water from their roots,but after doing an experiment i found out if you split the stem of a flower and put each half in coloured water(for example blue and red)the colours dont mix(it doesnt go purple,1 half is blue the other is red).this shows water distribution in flowers is not equal.my question is why?why don't the colours mix?
thanks leigh

Answer
Hi Leigh:  The plants you were working with were vascular plants.  That means that the have special cells called tracheids which make up vessels to carry waater to the leaves and flowers.  This vascular tissue is called xylem.  Your colored dyes were in separate vessels and did not mix but went to the part of the flower they were connected to.