Plant Tissues

• A tissue is a group of coherent cells having similar form and function.

According to the stage of development, plant tissues can be classified into:

I- Meristematic tissue: the cells have the ability of division.

II- Mature (permanent) tissue: the cells lost the power of division.

I- Meristematic tissue:
• It is characterized by thin-walled isodiametric cells with large nucleus and
dense cytoplasm. Cells do not have vacuoles, intercellular spaces, or
reserve food materials. These cells can divide.

• Examples: a) Apical meristems: located at the growing points (apices) of

stems and roots.

b) Lateral meristems: increase diameter of the plant (vascular & cork cambia).

c) Intercalary: at internodes of stems and at leaf bases.

II- Mature (permanent) tissue:
• It consists of differentiated mature cells and may be classified into dermal,
mechanical, conductive, or secretory tissue.

• It is characterized by thick-walled cells with cytoplasm. Cells have a large

central vacuole, intercellular spaces, as well as reserve food materials. It
cannot divide.

• It can be simple (consists of one type of cells such as parenchyma,

collenchyma, ...) or complex (consists of more than one type of cells such
as xylem, phloem, ....).

• Simple permanent tissue:

a) Parenchymatous tissue:
• It is the main tissue in the plant body, occurring in almost all organs.

• A simple tissue consists of parenchyma cells that are usually spherical or

oval in shape. Sometimes the cells may be elongated or lobed. Very rarely,
they become irregular.

• These cells have primary thin cellulosic walls and narrow or wide
intercellular spaces.

• The cells show different contents e.g. starch granules, calcium oxalate, .....

• In certain regions like epidermis, the cells become compactly arranged and
hence, intercellular spaces are absent.

• Parenchyma occurs in the cortex and pith of

stems and roots, associated with xylem and

phloem, as well as in tissues of leaves and fruits.

• Parenchyma is mainly involved in functions like

storage and respiration. It also takes part in other functions like

photosynthesis, absorption, secretion and protection.
• Types of parenchyma:
On this basis of their function, the following types can be recognized:

a) Prosenchyma: elongated parenchyma cells with tapering ends.

b) Chlorenchyma: parenchyma cells containing large number of chloroplasts.

They occur in the mesophyll of leaves (palisade and spongy tissues) and other
green parts of the plant body. They participate in photosynthesis.

c) Aerenchyma: parenchyma cells with large intercellular spaces that are

filled with air. They are found in aquatic floating plants (hydrophytes) and
help in flexibility and respiration.

d) Vascular parenchyma: parenchyma found associated with the vascular

tissues, e.g. xylem parenchyma and phloem parenchyma.

e) Medullary parenchyma: parenchyma found radially arranged in between

the vascular bundles of stems. It stores reserve food materials.
f) Conjunctive parenchyma: parenchyma which occur in the root system. It is
specially meant for storage of water.

g) Armed parenchyma: found in the epidermis of leaves in some

gymnosperms. The cells have many spiny projections for defense.

Aerenchyma
b) Collenchymatous tissue:
 It is a simple living tissue directly derived from parenchyma, but has
greater mechanical strength. The walls are cellulosic and thickened.

 Cells are small rounded or slightly elongated with no intercellular spaces,

used for mechanical strenght of soft plants.

 They can be found in the midrib of leaves, corners of stems, or as a

continuous layer under the epidermis of stems.
c) Sclerenchymatous tissue:
Sclerenchyma are dead cells when mature with thick secondary walls used
for mechanical support. There are two types; fibers and sclereids:

Fibers:
 The tissue composed of spindle shaped or elongated cells with pointed
ends is known as prosenchyma. When these cells are thick-walled, they
are known as fibers.

 Most mature fibers are differentaited on the basis of the tissue in which
they occur, such as cortical fibers (in the cortex), pericyclic fibers (in the
pericycle), ploem fibers (in the phloem) or xylem fibers (in xylem).

 Fibers may be lignified and are stained red with phloroglucinol and conc.
HCl.
 Sclereids

Fibers
b) Sclereids:

• Sclereids or stone cells are approximately isodiametrical in shape with

thick, lignified walls and traversed by pit-canals (pitted walls), which are
often funnel-shapped or branched. The cell lumen is usually small.

• Sclereides occur either isolated or in groups. Some sclereids have special

contents such as prisms of caox or starch grains.

• They are stained red with phloroglucinol and conc. HCl.

2) Complex permanent tissue:
A heterogenous tissue consisting of more than one cell type, including the
vascular, secretory, and epidermal tissues.

a) Vascular tissue (conducting tissue):

1- Xylem:

 It is the water conducting tissue, consists of vessels, tracheids, fibers, and

parenchyma.

 Xylem vessels are used for water transport and mechanical support. They
are lignified and stained red with phloroglucinol and conc. HCl.

 Non-lignified xylem vessels are found in roots and rhizomes.

 After completing their growth, the 2ry walls of xylem vessels are
thickened or deposited in differnt forms:
 Annular: the 2ry wall deposits as rings in narrow vessels.
 Spiral: the 2ry wall forms a spiral in slightly wider vessels.
 Reticulate: the 2ry wall forms a network.
 Sclariform: the 2ry wall has elongated pits in vertical series.
 Pitted: the 2ry wall is pitted and is formed in wider vessels.
• Tracheids are primitive elements, shorter than vessels with bordered pits

on their walls. They are used for water transport and mechanical support.

• Xylary fibers are long and narrow with tapeing ends and lignified walls,

with simple or bordered pits. They are used as support elements.

• Xylem parenchyma are living cells with thin or thick lignified walls. They

are used for storage and transport of metabolites.

2- Phloem:

• It is the food conducting tissue, composed of sieve elements, companion

cells, phloem parenchyma, and phloem fibers.

• Sieve elements are either sieve tubes (in angiosperms) or sieve cells (in

gymnosperms).
• In gymnosperms: phloem is formed of sieve cells, parenchyma, & fibers.

• In angiosperms:

a) In monocots: it lacks phloem parenchyma.

b) In dicots: phloem parenchyma are present.

• Companion cells are special parenchyma

cells associated with sieve tubes of dicots and

monocots. The sieve tube may have one or

more companion cells.

• The mature companion cell has a nucleus, so there is a physiological

relation between it and the sieve tube.

• Phloem parenchyma are elongated cells, occur only in dicots. They store
organic substances.

• Phloem fibers may be lignified or not, acting for mechanical support.

b) Secretory tissues:
Secretory tissues

1-External secretory 2-Internal secretory

structures structures
e.g. Glandular hairs
A-Secretory cells

B-Secretory cavities
i-Schizogenous (internal glands)

ii-Lysigenous

iii-Schizolysigenous

C-Secretory ducts or canals

i-Latex cell
d-Laticiferous structures

ii-Latex vessel
1-External secretory structures:
e.g. the glandular hairs (Labiaceous hair in Mentha).

e.g. nectar glands of the flower petals.

2-Internal secretory structures:

A- Secretory cells (suspension or emulsion):

They are either isolated or rarely arranged in rows. They have suberised
walls and are named according to the secretion they contain such as oil cells
(the secretion is v.o.) and resin cells (the secretion is resin).

B- Secretory cavities or sacs (internal glands):

Internal structures embeded in a mass of tissue and having cavities within
them in which secretions such as v.o. and oleoresin are secreted.

According to the method of formation they can be classified into:

i- Schizogenous:
Developed by splitting apart of cells thus enclosing a cavity which then
became enlarged and lined or surrounded by epithelial tissue formed by the
division of the surrounding cells. e.g. Cumin, Coriander, Anise
(Umbelliferae=Apiaceae) and Jaborandi.

ii- Lysigenous:
Developed by breaking down of the cells forming a cavity. It originates from
a single cell by division in different directions forming a solid mass and then
by gradual disintigration of the resulting cell starting from the center. e.g.
Citrus fruits.

iii- Schizolysigenous:
Developed at first schizogenously but, later on increase in size by
Lysigenous (breaking down of the bounding cells). e.g. Buchu, Guava, Clove.
Schizogenous

Schizolysiogenous

Lysiogenous
C- Secretory ducts or canals:
They are tube-like structures that may extend through the whole length of the

organ. They produce volatile oil or oleo-resin. They are either developed
schizogenously (such as in family Compositae or Umbelliferae (the vittae)),
lysigenously or schizolysigenously (as in family Anacardiaceae).
D- Laticiferous structures:
These include tube-like cells or vessels with a colourless, milky white,
yellowish or reddish viscous emulsion or suspension called latex. Latex may
contain resin, gum resin, fats, wax, protein suspended in an aqueous solution
of certain substances e.g. tannins, alkaloids, proteins, sugars, enzymes, salts.

i- Latex cells:

Usually in the form of a tube, brabched or unbranched. They are not

anastomosing (not connected).

ii- Latex vessels (or ducts):

They are long simple or branching tubes. When branched, they are
anastomosing with rough walls. They may form anastomosing network, e.g.
Opium and Lobelia, or may be non-anastomosing vessels, e.g. Liliaceae.
Latex cells Latex vessels