1. A type of vascular cylinder in plants consisting of a network of vascular strands arranged around a central pith, characteristic of certain ferns and other plants.
Usage: botanical term; also called a dictyostele or dictyostelic stele

Examples

• The dictyosteles of certain fern species show a complex arrangement of vascular tissue.
• Botanists study dictyosteles to understand the vascular anatomy of ancient plants.
• The presence of dictyosteles in fossils helps paleobotanists classify extinct species.