How do plants transport water and minerals from their roots to their leaves?

 Plants transport water and minerals from their roots to their leaves through a vascular system composed of xylem and phloem. Xylem is a tissue that consists of hollow tubes called vessels and tracheids. Water and minerals enter the xylem through root hairs and are pulled up by a combination of transpiration (evaporation of water from the leaves), cohesion (attraction between water molecules) and adhesion (attraction between water molecules and xylem walls). Phloem is a tissue that consists of living cells called sieve elements and companion cells. Phloem transports organic substances such as sugars and amino acids from the leaves (sources) to other parts of the plant (sinks) by a process called translocation. Translocation involves loading and unloading of solutes at the source and sink regions, creating a pressure gradient that drives the flow of phloem sap.