10/18/2021

Plant Anatomy
4th practical session
permanent tissue
(parenchyma and collenchyma)

By: Masoud Karimpour

Parenchyma is not a highly specialized tissue involved

in many functions such as photosynthesis, storage,
synthesis and processing of many substances, and tissue
repairing. In this tissue, only the parenchymatic cell type is
present, which shows a thin primary cell wall.

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Collenchyma is made up of living cells which are similar to parenchyma,

but with stronger, unevenly thickened cell walls. Collenchyma cells are often
found as flexible support beneath the epidermis of growing tissues and in many
other locations, including stems, leaves and fruits. Cotton is a fabric made of
plant collenchyma tissue.

Position in the plant

Collenchyma is a supporting tissue characteristic of the growing organs of many
herbaceous and woody plants, and it is also found in stems and leaves of mature
herbaceous plants, including those that are only slightly modified by secondary
growth. In stems and petioles, collenchyma typically occurs in a peripheral
position and can be found immediately beneath the epidermis or separated from
it by one to several layers of parenchyma

Type of collenchyma

There are different types of collenchyma depending on the thickenings of their

cell walls.
Angular collenchyma: the thickenings of the cell walls are located in the angles
or corners of the cells and there are no intercellular spaces.
Lamellar collenchyma: the thickenings are in the outer and inner tangential
walls.
Lacunar collenchyma: it contains intercellular spaces and the cell wall
thickenings are near to these intercellular spaces.
Annular collenchyma: it shows uniform thickening around the cell. However,
there are intermediate forms which are difficult to classify

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Schematic drawings of the most common types of collenchyma. (A) Angular collenchyma.
(B) Lamellar collenchyma. (C) Annular collenchyma. (D) Lacunar collenchyma. This type
often occurs as an intermediate type with angular and lamellar collenchyma, in which the size
of the intercellular spaces can vary from minute spaces (1) to large cavities surrounded by
collenchymatous walls (2).