(from the article `vascular system`) The condition of the xylem, the woody elements in the stem, defines several categories. The protostele has a solid xylem core; the siphonostele has ... The vascular cylinder of a stem or root is called the stele. The simplest and apparently most primitive type of stele is the protostele, in which the... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/p/124