Cross Sections

Leaf-Stem-Root.
PRESENTED BY MR CARLINSKY
 DICOTYLEDONOUS LEAF
• The dicotyledonous leaf consists of a flat
lamina (leaf blade) which is attached to the
main stem by means of a petiole.
• The veins of the leaf blade consist of xylem
and phloem that are continuous with the
xylem and phloem of the root and stem.
• The leaf consists of THREE MAIN sections:
• The epidermis
• The mesophyll
• The vascular bundles
Cross section of the
dicotyledonous leaf
showing the
different tissue that
make up the leaf
CROSS SECTION OF DICOT
LEAF
The epidermis
• The upper and lower surfaces of the leaf are covered by a
thin transparent epidermis.
• The epidermis is thin and transparent so that the light can
pass through for photosynthesis.
• A thin waxy cuticle covers the epidermis and ensures that
water is not lost through the epidermis.
• The lower surface of the epidermis has specialized cells
called stomata.
• The stomata consist of a kidney-shaped guard cell that
open and close the stomatal pores.
• The stomata are responsible for gaseous exchange.
The mesophyll

• There are two types of mesophyll cells i.e. palisade and

spongy mesophyll. They fill the spaces between the
between the upper and lower epidermis.
• The palisade mesophyll cells are thin-walled parenchyma
cell, are elongated and are situated just below the upper
epidermis. They contain large number of chloroplasts to
absorb sunlight for photosynthesis.
• The spongy mesophyll is round parenchyma that has many
intercellular airspaces and air chambers to allow gases to
diffuse easily. They have less chloroplasts than the palisade.
The vascular bundles
• The veins consist of xylem and phloem.
• The xylem carries water from the roots up the stem and
into the leaf where it is needed in the mesophyll tissues for
photosynthesis,
• The phloem carries the food that is made by
photosynthesis down to the other parts of the plant.
 How the leaf is adapted to its functions
• The lamina (leaf blade) is large providing large surface area to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
• The lamina is thin which allows gases to move in and out easily by diffusion.
• The cuticle is impermeable to water and transparent – this prevents loss of water and allows sunlight through to the
palisade mesophyll cell.
• Epidermal cells are transparent to allow sunlight through.
• The lower surface has many stomata for gaseous exchange.
• The palisade tissue is arranged longitudinally to increase the surface area exposed to the sunlight.
• The palisade has many chloroplasts to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight.
• The palisade has thin walls to allow osmosis and the diffusion of gases into and out of the cells.
• The spongy mesophyll has large intercellular air spaces for gaseous exchange.
• The vascular bundles have xylem to transport water and mineral salts from the roots up the stem to the mesophyll for
photosynthesis.
• The vascular bundles have phloem to transport the dissolved nutrients made during photosynthesis to other parts of the
plant.
THE STEM
Dicot stem
THE
ROOT
 Cross section of the root

The Root
Cross section of the root