text: which plant can hold water in its stem? how does it help the plant? another question asked by a teacher who doesn't know the subject she is trying to teach.   all plants can hold water in their stem. even rainforest plants commonly store water in their stems.  some of the most spectacular water holding plants are the tea trees of tropical australia.  these trees mostly grow seasonal wetlands in areas that are literally flooded for part of the year and receive little rain  for the rest of the year. the trees are capable of holding several hundred litres of water  in bulging hollows in their trunks. what makes this so spectacular is that water exists as free water. it simply sits in a hollow in the wood, and if the wood is cut the water gushes out.  aboriginal people obtained water during the dry months by cutting holes in the stems to drain the water.  cacti, boabs and a range of other plants can also store large amounts of water in their stems, but none store it as large masses of free water as the tea trees do. instead the water is held in the cells or the  vessel elements   >>>>how does it help the plant?  it allows the plant to survive through periods when water is scarce. most plants only store enough water to last for a few days while desert plants or plants from seasonally dry environments like the tea trees can store sufficient water to see them through weeks or months.