cross section: Older Quercus root common name: Oak magnification: 40x

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In young roots, the vascular cylinder is surrounded by two rings of cells, the pericycle and endodermis, and above these layers the cortex and epidermis.

In older roots underling activity of the cork cambium replaces the epidermal and cortical tissues with a protective zone of cork rich periderm. The outermost layer of periderm consists of layers of cork cells, the phellem, which produce the waterproofing substance suberin. Cork cells are dead at maturity. Deep to the phellem is a layer of living cork cambium or phellogen and just beneath that layers of cork parenchyma or phelloderm. Many cells in the periderm contain dark staining tannins. 

The vascular cylinder consists of an outer narrow ring of phloem,and deep to this, the vascular cambium. The vascular cambium remains active, producing annual growth of secondary phloem towards the outside of the root and secondary xylem towards center of the root. Because of greater production of xylem, the bulk of the vascular cylinder is dominated by radially arranged rays of secondary xylem interspaced with medullary rays of parenchyma cells. Annual growth rings of spring and summer wood is difficult to distinguish in roots

Both the pericycle and endodermis, which wrap vascular cylinder in younger roots, are lost due to seasonal growth of the vascular cylinder,