One of the components of xylem tissue is

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which option is a component of xylem tissue, the plant tissue that conducts water and mineral salts from the roots upward.

Step 2: Explain the concept Plants have two main vascular (conducting) tissues:

• Xylem carries water and dissolved minerals upward. Its components are: • Tracheids • Vessels (vessel elements) • Xylem parenchyma • Xylem fibres (sclerenchyma)
• Phloem carries manufactured food (sugars) up and down the plant. Its components are: • Sieve tubes • Companion cells • Phloem parenchyma • Phloem fibres

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Companion cell: This belongs to the phloem. It supports the sieve tube. ❌
• B. Tracheid: This is an elongated, dead, lignified cell that conducts water in the xylem. ✅
• C. Sieve tube: This belongs to the phloem and carries food. ❌
• D. Epidermal: This is a protective outer layer (dermal tissue), not a part of the vascular tissue. ❌

Step 4: Answer The correct option is B. tracheid.

Exam tip: Remember it this way: Xylem = waXter... or simply, "Tracheids and Vessels are Xylem's Transporters of water." Anything with "sieve" or "companion" belongs to Phloem (think of Phloem as the Plant's food Pipeline).