A distributing artery (or muscular artery) is a medium-sized artery that draws blood from an elastic artery and branch into "resistance vessels" including small arteries and arterioles. In contrast to the mechanism elastic arteries use to store energy generated by the heart's contraction, distributing arteries contain layers of smooth muscle.
Under the microscope distributing arteries can be identified by their clearly defined internal elastic lamina. In constricted vessels the elastic lamina of distributing arteries appears thick and kinky. The elastic lamina is best visualized using Verhoeff's stain, but can be easily detected in specimens stained using other techniques as a well-defined negative staining region.
Examples of distributing arteries include the radial artery and the splenic artery.
Distributing arteries along with elastic arteries are common site for atherosclerosis.