The dermal tissue system protects the soft tissues of plants and handles interactions with the plants' surroundings. The epidermis is a dermal tissue that is usually a single layer of cells comprising the younger parts of a plant. It conceals a waxy layer named the cuticle that inhibits water loss. Plant parts that become woody no longer have dermal tissue as their outer layer because it is followed by periderm or cork. Just as our own covering assists to defend our bodies, the dermal layer of a plant has the same function.
