Plant vessels glowing under UV light September 11, 2016 Cosmos Editorial By Cosmos Editorial Credit: MAGDA TURZANSKA / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images Like us, plants rely on vessels to transport water and nutrients around tissues. In this cross-section of a maize (Zea mays) stem, cell walls of vascular tissue stained with an ammonium salt berberine glow under ultraviolet light. Originally published by Cosmos as Plant vessels glowing under UV light