The cohesive property of water keeps the column of water in the xylem unbroken all the way up to the top of a tree. A failure to do this would produce cavitation in the xylem and this would stop all flow of water up the tree in that column of xylem elements. This property is shown in Figure 3.5 on page 64. Water is not compressible While gases can be compressed into smaller and smaller spaces, liquid water is not so compressible. Thus compression of water into a space surrounded by a cell wall produces turgor pressure .
Turgor keeps petals and leaves extended into the air and prevents wilting.
M Pa typical tire pressure is 0.25 MPa. Water is commonly available Because of the water cycle, rainfall and ground water are linked through the transpiration and evaporation from plants. Water is a free medium for cell and body enlargement. Of course foolish humans douse this effect by piling ladles full of salad dressing on their vegetables. While water is often commonly available, water can be insufficient during important times in the life of a plant.