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The phloem is often regarded as a relatively straightforward transport system composed of loading (collection), long-distance (transport), and unloading (release) zones.

Not sure why there is 'the' before 'phloem' as phloem is a mass noun and I have seen this word used in many other articles without a 'the'. I believe that this sentence is describing generic phloem, not a specific one, so I don't understand why the article is used.

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    Why do you think that mass nouns cannot have "the" before them?
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 1:39
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    As this is for generic use, I don't understand why it has 'the'. Also, in many articles, this word 'phloem' appears without 'the'. So, please help here.
    – Zheng Li
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 1:43
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    For example: "Lignification is a key feature of the differentiation of vessels and fibers in xylem and phloem."
    – Zheng Li
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 1:45
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    For what it's worth, the Wikipedia article on phloem includes "the phloem" eight times. There's no rule against it.
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 5:40
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    @gotube Thanks. Does it mean that it is optional? Still not sure why the author, who is a native speaker, bothered to use 'the' every time in the article.
    – Zheng Li
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 9:26

1 Answer 1

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Personally, I think phloem, xylem are usually better treated as mass nouns, which don't use the definite article. But the cited usage is at least "acceptable" either way. I'm more familiar with skin than phloem, so these are my examples...

1: The skin is a complex organ system comprising the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissues.

2: Skin is a complex organ whose main function is to protect the body from environmental hazards.

There are dozens more examples in each of those links. It doesn't really make any difference whether the article is present or not with phloem, skin.

But note that we always include the article with the ear, the eye. And whereas the heart, the liver are also bodily organs, heart, liver with no article are "mass noun" foodstuffs.

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  • Thanks a lot. But as the author of this article is a native speaker, I guess he must have a reason to add 'the' before 'phloem' so many times in the paper (also in the Wiki article on phloem).
    – Zheng Li
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 9:51
  • I'm not a biologist, but it seems quite reasonable to me that a person working in this area might think of "the phloem" as a "system" within the plant, rather that just a "substance". Certainly that's what we all do with "skin" (both a biological system and a substance).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 16:17
  • ...in any case, your cited example says "the phloem" is a relatively straightforward transport system. If it's a "system" or an "organ", it can take an article.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 10, 2023 at 16:20

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