Which tissues transport water and minerals in lower vascular plants?

In lower vascular plants—a group that includes ferns, club mosses, horsetails, and whisk ferns—water and dissolved minerals are transported through a specialized vascular tissue called xylem.123

This tissue is a defining characteristic of all vascular plants, distinguishing them from nonvascular bryophytes, which lack such a system. In lower vascular plants, the xylem consists primarily of tracheids, which are narrow, elongated, water-conducting cells. These cells are typically less specialized than the vessel members found in many flowering plants. In addition to facilitating the upward movement of water and minerals from the roots, the xylem provides essential physical support to the plant body.132

While xylem handles water and mineral transport, the phloem is the tissue responsible for conducting the products of photosynthesis, such as sugars, throughout the plant.423