Pine Stem Cross Section Under the Microscope
Pine Stem (Cross Section), Pinus
This is a cross section of a young pine stem stained with safranin and fast green. It shows how conifer stems are built, with wood made of tracheids and resin ducts running through the tissue.
A cross section of a young pine stem (Pinus stem c.s.) stained with Fast Green and Safranin, demonstrating the characteristic anatomical features of a gymnosperm shoot axis. The section reveals a prominent central pith (medulla) composed of large parenchymal cells, surrounded by a ring of vascular bundles exhibiting primary xylem and phloem, bounded by fascicular cambium. Radiating outward through the cortical region are several large resin ducts lined by specialized secretory epithelial cells. The exterior is protected by a outer layer of epidermis and developing periderm, showing typical thick-walled, lignified cell architecture that structuralizes woody conifer tissues.
What to look for
- Pith: Large, thin-walled cells in the very center of the stem.
- Xylem: A ring of red-stained, thick-walled cells (tracheids) around the pith.
- Vascular cambium: A thin layer of small cells between the xylem and the phloem.
- Phloem: A green-stained band just outside the cambium.
- Resin ducts: Round canals lined with small cells, found in the cortex and sometimes in the xylem.
- Cortex and outer layers: Cells between the phloem and the surface, covered by epidermis or early bark.
At each magnification
Low power (about 4x)
A round section with a central pith and a ring of red xylem.
Medium power (about 10x)
Resin ducts in the cortex and the rows of cells in the xylem.
High power (about 40x)
Individual tracheids lined up in rows and the cells lining a resin duct.
Questions and answers
What does a pine stem look like under a microscope?
A young pine stem has pith in the center, a ring of xylem (wood) stained red, a thin cambium layer, phloem, and a cortex with round resin ducts. The xylem is made mostly of tracheids arranged in neat rows.
How is pine wood different from oak or maple wood?
Pine is a softwood, so its wood is made almost entirely of tracheids and has no vessels. Hardwoods like oak and maple have large water-carrying vessels that show up as bigger holes in a cross section.
- Category
- Botany & Plants
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Safranin / Fast Green
- Tags
- pine stem, Pinus, pine stem cross section, gymnosperm stem, resin duct, primary xylem
Viewing this slide in class
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