tissue in higher plants that conducts synthesized food substances to all parts of the plant
Word origin
C19: via German from Greek phloos bark
phloem in American English
(ˈfloʊˌɛm)
noun
the vascular tissue in vascular plants, that conducts and distributes sugars and other dissolved foods from the places where the food is produced to the places where it is needed or stored
Word origin
Ger < Gr phloos, bark, akin to phloiein, to swell: for IE base see phlebo-
Examples of 'phloem' in a sentence
phloem
Before I met Lena, three years ago, I devoted myself entirely to opening young minds onto the mysteries of xylem and phloem.
Kingsolver, Barbara HOMELAND AND OTHER STORIES (1990)