Stem

Article By:

Ammons, Nelle Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Fisher, Jack B. Fairchild Tropical Garden and Research Center, Miami, Florida.

Gunckel, James E. Department of Botany, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Last reviewed:October 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.654300

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• Stem, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

The organ of vascular plants that usually develops branches and bears leaves and flowers. The stem of a vascular plant is the ascending structural axis of a plant (Fig. 1) and is the point of attachment for leaves, flowers, and roots. Functionally, stems connect the roots to the leaves, assisting in the transport of water and nutrients to various parts of the plant. Stems usually grow above the ground, but some plant species possess underground stems. On woody stems, a branch that is the current season's growth from a bud is called a twig. The stems of some species produce adventitious roots (that is, roots that arise from any plant part other than the primary root or its branches). See also: Flower; Leaf; Plant; Plant anatomy; Plant growth; Plant organs; Root (botany)

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