Xylem transports the sap which is food the plant manufactures in it's root system to feed it's growth, upward to the branches and leaves. We tap that sap and reduce it into syrup using heat. read more
Since grade school we've learned that the xylem, or wood, transports water from the roots to the aerial parts of the plant, while the phloem transports sugars and other organic materials. Though true, this has resulted in the notion that sucrose-rich maple sap is extracted from the phloem – which is wrong. read more