Non- Living cell Inclusions

• Non living cell inclusions are the organic or inorganic

substances that are metabolic by-products of the cell- also
called non-protoplasmic inclusions or ERGASTIC SUBSTANCES.
• These are found in cytoplasm, vacuoles and cell walls and are
grouped into three broad categories:-
• Reserve materials,
• Secondary materials and
• Excretory materials.
Calcium oxalate crystals
 Raphides
• Thin elongated needle like crystals of calcium oxalate- found in
raphide sacs.
• Sometimes they are found in bundles.
• Occurs in special mucilage coverings
• Present in rhizome of Colocasia
• The raphides at times induce irritation- a means of protection from
animals.
• These crystals are destroyed on boiling
• Stellate crystals found in sclerenchyma of aquatic plants- Idioblasts
Raphides
Calcium carbonate crystals
 Cystolith
• Calcium carbonate crystals form grape like clusters hanging
from a stalk like projection into the cell cavity from the wall
and crystals are deposited on this stalk. This is called a cystolith
• The cystolith is an extension of the cellulosic cell wall with
calcium carbonate deposited in the form of granules
• Found in Ficus benghalensis
• A pair of cystolith is seen together in Momordica – called
Double cystolith
Cystolith
Permanent Tissues
 Parenchyma

• Simplest, least specialised

• Ground tissue of plant body
• Cell wall – cellulose and pectin
• Prominent nucleus
• Found in almost all parts of
plant body – epidermis, cortex,
fruits etc.
• Compactly arranged without air
spaces – angular parenchyma
• Loosely arranged with air
spaces – loose parenchyma
 Parenchyma types
• Prosenchyma Aerenchyma Chlorenchyma

Storage parenchyma
 Collenchyma Collenchyma - types
• Living mechanical tissue
• In young parts
• Cell walls – localised thickenings at
corners of walls
• Non-lignified.
• Gives tensile strength
• In hypodermis of stems, petioles,
leaf veins
• Becomes meriatematic during
secondary growth.
 Sclerenchyma
• Non-living mechanical tissue
• Cells dead, no living protoplast
• Cells hard, thick walled, elastic
• Cell walls lignified and pitted
with cellulose and lignin
deposites, low water content
Fibre Sclerieds
• Chief mechanical tissue in
mature plant organs.
Fibre
s
• Thick, elongated, spindle Three types
shaped with pointed tips. – Surface fibres
• Walls lignified – Xylary/wood fibres
• Simple pits – Extra xylary/bast fibres

• Fibres occur in groups in long

axis – rigidity and elasticity
• Seen in cortex, pericycle, xylem
and phloem
 Sclereids
• Short, sclerenchyma cells –highly thickened, lignified walls, narrow lumen and long
narrow simple pits.
• Abundant in soft tissues like cortex, pith, fruit pulp, fruit walls

Types
1. Short and isodiametric. Also called stone cells. In pulp of
fruits – grit cells, in sapota, pear, guava
2. Rod like. Seen in bark and seed coat of leguminous
plants
3. Bone like columnar sclerieds with dilated ends. In seed
coats and fruit wall.
4. Irregularly branching sclerides with radiating arms.
5. Long sclerieds with branches.
Complex tissues
 Origin
Xylem Phloem

Primary xylem Secondary xylem Primary phloem Secondary phloem

Protoxylem Protophloem

Metaxylem Metaphloem
Arrangement Xylem

Endarch Exarch Mesarch

 On this basis, there are two types of arrangements in the xylem: centripetal and
centrifugal.

• The centripetal arrangement is • In the centrifugal arrangement,

when the younger metaxylem
vessels are found towards the
pith and the older protoxylem
vessels are away from the pith.
This condition is featured as
Exarch.
• primary xylem in the root or
stems developing from outside to
inside featuring centripetal.
the older protoxylem vessels are
found towards the pith but the
younger metaxylem vessels are
found away from the pith. This
condition is featured as Endarch.
• primary xylem in the root or
stems developing from inside to
outside featuring centrifugal.
Xylem
• Tracheids
• Vessels (absent in pteridophytes and
gymnosperms)
– Perforation plate
• Simple
• Multiple
• Xylem fibres
– Fibre tracheids (intermediate form)
– Libriform fibres – true fibres
• Xylem parenchyma (only living cells)
– Medullary rays
• Wood parenchyma
• Ray parenchyma
Phloem
• Sieve elements
– Sieve tube elements/sieve members
• Non-nucleated cells associated with
companion cells.
• Form tubular sieve tubes – end walls – sieve
plates- have sieve area with sieve pores
• Sieve plates – simple and compound
– Sieve cells – primitive feature
• Long narrow spindle shaped cells. No
companion cells
• Companion cells – parenchymatous cells
Nucleated with dense cytoplasm.
Protoplasm continuous with that of sieve element via
plasmodesmata
Function – support sieve tube elements and regulate
the rate of flow along sieve tube
• Phloem fibres (non living)/ bast fibres
• Phloem parenchyma- absent in monocots
Concerned with storage

Transfer cells
seen in association with leaf vein of leguminous plants,
in nectaries and salt glands.
Cell wall shows ingrowths
Dense cytoplasm
Short distance transport of metabolites