My mallet- By Gillian Willis

My Mallet– made in the woods! Here is a cross-section of my mallet, it is made up of a range of different layers, each having a particular and unique purpose.

The bark– the bark is the outermost layer of the tree, it is composed mainly of dead cells penetrated by corky layers giving it its waterproof properties.

The phloem/bast– responsible for transporting sugars and other materials created within the plant. The phloem is always alive.

The cambium–  It is composed of generative, embryonic cells and produces new layers of phloem on the outside and xylem on the inside. Each year’s new growth laid down by cambium is discernible because of contrasts between large wood elements produced in spring and smaller ones produced in summer. These can be seen as rings. The tree will die if it is cut through the cambium layer.

The xylem– consists of a series of tubes for transporting water and dissolved minerals up and throughout the plant. Xylem tissue dies after 1 year and develops anew, this can be seen as rings in the cross-section of the tree. There is one ring for every year that the tree was alive.

References-
Burnie, D. (1988) Tree. London: Dorling Kindersley.
Charman, A. (1993) BBC Factfinder Trees. London: BBC Educational Publishers.
Ganeri, A. (1992) Focus on Trees. London: Franklin Watts.