Compare the inner anatomy of a plant with the most basic form of life: the cell. plants must carry water from their roots to their stems and leaves. they must also carry nutrients like glucose to the rest of the plant. xylem and phloem are important parts of vascular plants that do this important work. the cross section above shows xylem and phloem inside the root of a plant. what part of the cell are xylem and phloem most similar to in function? a) nucleus b) lysosome c) mitochondria d) endoplasmic reticulum