Vascular bundles in stem section imaged using bright field microscopy. Magnification is 100X. Average diameter of vascular bundle is 0.17mm. Seeing this “face” pop up under the microscope did surprise me! It is an image of a non-woody plant stem showing the two main types of vascular tissue: (1) xylem which carries nutrients and water up from the roots to the rest of the plant and (2) phloem which carries sugars and nutrients generated during photosynthesis down to all parts of the plant. The “tube-like” networks of xylem and phloem are bundled together into arrangements known as vascular bundles, which resemble “miniature faces.”