Ginkgo Biloba

Story:

Inspired by a photomicrograph from Nikole Bonacorsi and Jim Seago

This is a microscopic image of the base of a secondary root of Ginkgo biloba, stained with phloroglucinol-HCl. It shows some metaxylem of the primary xylem of the root, plus secondary xylem and newly formed secondary xylem over the protoxylem (or first primary xylem). There are also phloem fibers (many of which are just faintly red because they were newly forming when the section was cut) and to the outside is a set of cell layers making up the periderm or outer bark.