WOOD PARTS AND ANATOMY Taking a Closer Look at Wood Xylem Xylem is made up of long, skinny cells called fibers. A good way to think of a wood fiber is to picture a straw. A really good way to think of wood or xylem in a tree is to picture a handful of straws. The straws are like the fibers, sucking up water from the roots! The picture of magnified spruce wood on the left clearly shows the staw-like fibers of xylem. Click on the picture for a closer look. Not all xylem looks just like this, though. Spruce is a softwood, and this is a picture of softwood xylem ...   Hardwood xylem looks different.

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