Part 2: Plant Structure—Capillary Action

How exactly is water able to move against gravity from the roots up through the plant’s transport tissues? Plants use a special mechanism called capillary action, which involves the molecules of a liquid (water) being attracted to the molecules of a solid (walls of the plant’s transport tissues). This attraction allows the water to “stick” to the side of the transport tissue and work its way up and throughout the other parts of the plant.