Plant Tissue and Plant Body

Plant Life Cycle

1. Herbaceous
a. Does not develop persistent woody parts above ground
2. Woody Plants
a. Develop persistent woody parts above ground
b. Trees, Shrubs

Herbaceous Plants

Annuals
● Herbaceous plants that grow Reproduce and die in 1 year or season
● Corn, Geranium and Marigold

Biennials
● Herbaceous plants that take 2 years to complete their life cycles
● They produce extra carbohydrates during the first season which they store and use
during the second year.
● Carrot, Cabbage and Queen Anne’s lace

Perennials
● Live for more than 2 years

Temperate Climates Tropical Climates

Underground Become Dormant during winter Underground parts become dormant

parts Ex. Iris, Rhubarb, Onion during dry season
○ Grasses

Aerial Die back each winter Aerial parts die back during dry season
parts/shoots

In Temperate Climates
● Aerial shoots die back each winter in temperate climates
○ an aerial and erect part of plant body which grows upwards
○ Usually above soil
○ Stem, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds
● Underground parts - become dormant during winter
In Tropical Climates
● Aerial parts die back during dry season
● Underground parts become dormant during dry season
○ Grasses

Woody Plants
● Perennials

Perennials
● Live for hundreds or thousands of years
● Aerial shoots become dormant during winter in temperate climates
● Many shed their leaves before winter and produce new stem tissue with new leaves the
following spring
● Others are evergreen and shed their leaves over a long period so that some leaves are
always present
● Trees attain massive sizes because of their permanent woody stems
○ These stems are starting points for new growth the following season

Plant Environment
1. Dark, Moist Soil
2. Illuminated, Relatively dry air

Dark Moist Soil

● Roots → branch exclusively through soil → a network of roots is formed → the roots
anchor plant firmly in place → water and dissolved minerals from soil is absorbed

Illuminated, Relatively Dry Air

● Leaves - aka flattened organs for photosynthesis
○ Attached regularly on the stem
○ Absorb sunlight and CO2 in atmosphere
○ CO2 is used in photosynthesis to produce carbohydrates

Plant Body System

1. Shoot system
2. Root system

Shoot System
● Aerial portion
● Obtains sunlight and CO2 for plant
● Consists of
○ vertical stem bearing leaves
● In flowering plants
○ Flowers and fruits that contain seeds
Root System
● Generally underground
● Obtains water and dissolved minerals from plant
● Anchors the plant in place
● Tap roots and branch roots

Cells and Tissues of the Plant Body

1. Ground Tissue System

a. Parenchyma Tissue
b. Collenchyma Tissue
c. Sclerenchyma Tissue
2. Vascular Tissue System
a. Xylem - transport of water b. Phloem - transport of carbohydrates
i. Xylem Parenchyma i. Phloem Parenchyma
ii. Fibers ii. Fibers
iii. Vessel elements iii. Sieve-tube elements
iv. Tracheids iv. Companion Cells
3. Dermal Tissue System
a. Epidermis
b. Periderm
c.
Ground Tissue System
● All of the tissues of the plant body other than the vascular and dermal tissues
● The cell wall structures distinguish these tissues
○ Provides structural support that surrounds each plant cell
○ Growing cell → thin primary cell walls are secreted → primary cell walls stretch
and expand
○ Cell stops growing → thick strong secondary cell wall is secreted → secondary
cell wall is deposited inside the primary cell wall

Parenchyma Tissue
● Simple tissue
● Composed of parenchyma cells
● Found throughout the plant body
● Most common type of cell and tissue
● Relatively unspecialized
● Thin walled
● May contain chlorophyll
● Typically loosely packed
● Present in soft parts of plant
○ Edible part of apple or potato
● Performs photosynthesis, storage and
secretion
○ Contains chloroplasts
○ Starch grains, oil droplets, water
and salts
○ Resins, tannins, hormones,
enzymes, sugary nectar
● Have the ability to differentiate into
other kinds of cells particularly when
plant is injured
Collenchyma Tissue
● Simple tissue, elongated
● Composed
● Has Moderately uneven thickened primary cell walls
○ Especially thick in the corners
○ Not uniformly found throughout the plant
● Occurs as long strands near stem surfaces and along leaf veins
○ Strings in a celery stalk (Petiole)
● Flexible
○ Provides much of support in soft non woody plant organs
● Crucial function in plants:
○ Support
○ Allows plant to grow upward
○ In a plant crowded area, it enables plants to compete for sunlight

Sclerenchyma Tissue
● Etymology
○ Greek root word sclero, “hard”
● Simple tissue composed of sclerenchyma cells
● Specialized for structural support
● Mature sclerenchyma cells are usually dead and have overly thickened secondary cell
walls containing lignin
● Sclereids
○ Short cells that are variable in shape
○ common in shells of nuts and stones of fruits such as cherries and peaches
● Fibers
○ Long, tapered cells that occur in groups or clumps
○ Particularly abundant in wood, inner bark and leaf ribs (veins) of flowering plants

Vascular Tissue System

● Embedded in the ground tissue
● A characteristic that separates vascular and nonvascular plants
● Transports materials throughout the plant

Xylem
● Conducts water and dissolved minerals from roots to stems and leaves
● Provides structural supports
● Composed of
○ Xylem Parenchyma
○ Fibers
○ Vessel elements
○ Tracheids
Xylem Parenchyma
● Parenchyma cells
● Performs Storage Functions

FIbers
● Provides support

Vessel Elements
● Water conducting cells present in flowering plants
● Hollow, have perforations (holes in their end walls), or have dissolved end walls
● Stacked on top of the other
○ Water is conducted from one vessel element to the next
● Have pits in their side walls
○ Permits lateral transport of water from one vessel to another
Tracheids
● Chief water-conducting cells
○ In gymnosperms, seedless vascular plants such as ferns
● Located in patchers or clumps
○ Long and tapering cells
● Water is conducted upward from roots to shoots
● Water is passed between tracheids through pits
○ Pits are thin areas in tracheid cell walls where secretory cell wall did not form
● Bordered Pits
○ Smaller opening into the section of the secondary cell wall
○ Bulges on both sides of cell wall
○ Function like a valve
○ Equal water pressure between cells → Open bordered pit → unrestricted water
flow
○ Unequal water pressure → the torus (a thickening in primary cell) blocks opening
→ restricted water flow

Phloem
● Conducts food materials (carbohydrates) formed in photosynthesis throughout the plant
● Provides structural support

Phloem Parenchyma
● Performs storage functions

Fibers
● Frequently extensive in the phloem of flowering plants
● Provides additional structural support for plant body
Sieve-tube Elements
● Where food materials are conducted in solution dissolved in water
● Long thin cells that are stacked end on end
○ Form long sieve tubes
● Sieve plates (cell’s end walls)
○ Have series of holes
○ Cytoplasm extends through series of holes from one sieve-tube element to
another
○ Alive at maturity, organelles disintegrate as they mature
○ Functions without nuclei
○ Live less than 1 year

Companion Cells
● Adjacent to each sieve-tube element
● Assists in functioning of sieve tube element
● A living cell complete with nucleus
● Does not conduct nutrients
● Essential in loading food materials to sieve-tube elements for transport to other parts of
plants

Dermal Tissue System

● Provides a protective covering over plant parts

Herbaceous Dermal Tissue System Woody Dermal Tissue System

A layer of cells called epidermis Initially produce epidermis

Epidermis splits apart into thick periderm as

plants increase in girth due to the production
of additional woody tissues underneath
epidermis

Epidermis
● Outermost tissue layer
● Composed primarily of relatively unspecialized living cells
● Consist of single layer of cells in most plants
● Generally contain no chloroplasts
○ Light penetrates into interior tissues of stems and leaves
Cuticle
● A waxy layer secreted by epidermal cells
● Greatly restricts the loss of water from plant surface
Stomata
● Facilitate diffusion of Carbon Dioxide
● Has tiny pores in the epidermis (stoma) between two cells (guard cells)

Trichomes
● Specialized guard cells and outgrowths dispersed among these cells
● Occur in many shapes and sizes
● Have a variety of functions
● Have protective function
● In plants that tolerate salty environments, the specialized trichomes remove excess salt
that has accumulated in the plant
● In aerial plants (desert plants), they decrease water loss by increasing reflection of light
off the plants which would keep the plant’s internal tissues cooler.

Periderm
● Complex tissue
● Formed by Cork Cambium
● Semipermeable layer of bark
● Secondary plant body replacement for epidermis
○ Replaces epidermis when woody plants increase in girth and epidermis sloughs
off (sheds)
● Produces and is protected by Rhytidome
○ Rhytidome forms the protective outer bark of older stems and roots.
● Composed mainly of Cork Cells and Cork Parenchyma Cells.

Plant Meristems
● One difference between plants and animals is the location of growth
● Meristems
○ the specific areas where cell division occurs when a plant grows
○ composed of cells whose primary function is the formation of new cells.
● Meristematic cells do not differentiate
● The persistence of meristems means that plants retain the capability for growth
throughout their entire life span.

Plant Growth Processes

● Cell Division
● Cell Elongation
● Cell Differentiation

Cell Division
● Results in an increase in the number of cells
● Essential part of growth
Cell Elongation
● New cells elongate as cytoplasm grows and vacuoles are filled with water
○ Pressure is exerted on cell wall causing it to expand
● In an onion root cell, vacuole increases in size 30 to 150 times during elongation

Cell Differentiation
● Specialization of plant cells into various cell types
○ Mature plant bodies are composed of these cell types which perform various
functions in a multicellular organism

● Important aspect of growth

● Essential for tissue formation

Types of Meristematic Growth

● Primary growth - increase in length
● Secondary growth - increase in girth

Primary growth
● Increase in the length of a plant.
● All plants have primary growth
● Produces the entire body in herbaceous plants and the young, soft shoot tips and root
tips of woody trees and shrubs.

Primary Growth in Roots and Shoots

● Occurs due to the activity of apical meristems, areas at the tips of roots and shoots.

Primary Growth in Roots

● Root Cap
○ Protective layer of cells that cover the root tip
● Root Apical Meristem
○ Directly behind root cap
○ Found in the area of cell division
● Area of Cell Elongation
○ Found farther back from the tip of the root, behind the area of cell division
○ Where cells have displaced from the meristem
● Area of Cell Maturation
○ Found father back from the tip
○ Area where cells have completely differentiated and are fully mature
Primary Growth in Shoots
● Quite different appearance from root tip
● Shoot Apical Meristem
○ Found within every bud
○ Regularly arranged meristematic cells
○ Is pushed upward as the cells of shoot apical meristem elongate
● Leaf primordia
○ Developing leaves
○ Emerge from shoot apical meristem
● Bud primordia
○ Developing buds
○ Emerge from shoot apical meristem
● Subsequent cell division produces additional stem tissue, and new leaf and bud
primordia
● Immature cells enlarge and differentiate into the 3 tissue systems of the mature plant
body.
○ Found in the area of cell elongation
○ Continue to develop and differentiate

3 Primary Meristems
A. Protoderm
B. Procambium
C. Ground Meristem

Protoderm
● Young
● Undifferentiated tissue of root or stem
● Eventually develops into epidermis

Procambium
● Meristematic tissue
● Eventually develops into xylem and phloem

Ground Meristem
● Meristematic Tissue
● Gives rise to cortex, pith and ground tissue

Secondary Growth
● In addition to primary growth (elongation), trees and shrubs have secondary growth.
● These plants increase in length by primary growth and increase in girth by
secondary growth.
● Secondary growth is due to cell divisions that occur in lateral meristems, areas that
extend along the entire lengths of stems and roots, except at the tips.
● Two lateral meristems are responsible for secondary growth:
○ vascular cambium
○ cork cambium.
● Secondary growth forms secondary tissues
○ secondary xylem
○ secondary phloem
○ periderm
● The vascular cambium is a layer of meristematic cells that forms a thin, continuous
cylinder within the stem and root.
○ It is located between the wood and bark of a woody plant.
○ Cells of the vascular cambium divide, adding more cells to the wood (secondary
xylem) and to the inner bark (secondary phloem).
● The cork cambium is a thin cylinder or irregular arrangement of meristematic cells in the
outer bark region.
● Cells of the cork cambium divide to form the cork cells toward the outside and one or
more underlying layers of cork parenchyma cells that function in storage.
● Collectively, cork cells, cork cambium, and cork parenchyma make up the periderm.