ˈflōˌem noun
( -s )
Etymology: German, from Greek phloios, phloos bark; akin to Greek phallos penis — more at blow
: a complex tissue in the vascular system of higher plants consisting mainly of sieve tubes and companion cells and usually also of fibers and parenchyma cells and functioning chiefly in translocation but also in support and storage — called also bast, sieve tissue