Extensive specialized supporting tissues exist only in vascular plants . It is responsible for the transport and dispersal of water, nutriments and assimilates. It is common to survey vascular tissues independently. They are therefore reviewed in the second part of this topic. The larger a vessel plant is, the higher is its content of dead cells.
Dead cells are exceptions among bryophytes, but very common in flowering plants.
Supporting tissues reside generally in the periphery of plant organs. If the cells are combined in layers, tubes are formed, whose stability is much greater than that of sticks of the same diameter. The supporting tissues of ribbed or edged stems are concentrated in these ribs or edges. The supporting tissue is reduced to a minimum in submerse living vascular plants. The collenchyma is the typical supporting tissue of the primary plant body and growing plant parts.