Root hairsTiny outgrowths of the epidermis. They take up water and dissolved minerals from the soil. They grow in the zone of maturation.
EpidermisThe outer layer of cells round the root.
CortexThe wide band of cells between the epidermis and the endodermis.
EndodermisA ring of cells round the vascular tissue. A waxy band in its walls, the Casparian strip, makes water and minerals pass through its cells rather than between them.
PericycleThe outermost layer of the vascular tissue, just inside the endodermis. New side roots grow from it.
XylemThe tubes that carry water and minerals up from the root. They go to the rest of the plant. In this root it forms a cross.
PhloemTubes that carry food made in the leaves down to the root. They lie in patches between the xylem's arms.
The root tip: 5 4
Root capA cap of cells that covers the growing tip. It protects the tip as it pushes through the soil.
Zone of cell divisionJust behind the root cap. The cells divide here to make new ones. It holds the root's apical meristem.
Zone of elongationWhere the new cells grow longer. That pushes the tip deeper into the soil.
Zone of maturationWhere the cells take on their final jobs. It starts at the first root hair.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) Wikipedia, Root, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root : the root cap, apical meristem, elongation zone and root hair zone; root epidermal cells and root hairs taking up water and ions; from outside in, root hair, epidermis, cortex, endodermis, pericycle and the vascular tissue; xylem and phloem. (2) OpenStax Biology 2e, 30.3 Roots, https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/30-3-roots (used to check the names only, nothing copied): the root cap protecting the tip; the zones of cell division, elongation, and maturation and differentiation beginning at the first root hair; the epidermis, the cortex, the endodermis with its Casparian strip, the pericycle that can give rise to lateral roots, and the stele of xylem and phloem. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a root: first a young root cut across, from its hairy skin to the vascular tissue in the middle, then its growing tip cut lengthways.
Read the full guide
Cut across
Root hairs grow out of the epidermis and take up water. Inside is the wide cortex, then the ring of the endodermis and, just inside it, the pericycle. In the middle the xylem forms a cross, with the phloem between its arms.
The growing tip
The root cap protects the tip. Just behind it, in the zone of cell division, new cells are made; in the zone of elongation they grow longer; and in the zone of maturation, where the root hairs are, they take on their final jobs.
From the outside in: epidermis, cortex, endodermis, pericycle, then the xylem and phloem in the middle.
Questions and answers
What are the three zones of a root tip?
The zone of cell division just behind the root cap, the zone of elongation, and the zone of maturation, which starts at the first root hair.
What does the root cap do?
It covers and protects the growing tip as the root pushes down through the soil.
What is the endodermis?
A ring of cells round the root's vascular tissue. A waxy band in its walls makes water and minerals pass through its cells, which controls what gets in.