The plant body has a hierarchy of organs, tissues, and cells.
Plants, like multicellular animals,
have organs that are composed of different tissues, and tissues that are composed of different
cell types.
o A tissue is a group of cells with common structure and function.
o An organ consists of several types of tissues that work together to carry out particular
functions.
There are four types of plant tissues: Meristematic, Dermal, Ground and Vascular tissues.
The ground tissues are composed of three basic cell types: parenchyma, collenchyma, and
sclerenchyma.
Ground Tissues
Parenchyma cell
Parenchyma cells: spherical in shape, have thin cellulose walls with large intercellular spaces.
Location: These tissues can store water, fats, oil, etc. Found in the pulp of fruits, cortex,
medullary rays, and the pith of plant organs.
Function of Parenchyma: are suitable for food/water storage due to the large intercellular
spaces in between them, photosynthesis, and tissue repair occurs in the parenchyma cells.
They are capable of transporting nutrients around the plant. Some cells are also capable of
transporting light through them.
This tissue is responsible for photosynthesis and thus for the general well-being of the plant.
These cells have the ability to multiply after they have matured, this property is helpful in
the regeneration of damaged plant cells.
Collenchyma cells
Collenchyma cells are living cells with thick primary walls composed of cellulose.
Collenchyma cells can be found in the long strands or cylinders where they help support
young parts of the plant shoot.
Young stems and petioles often have strands of collenchyma just below the epidermis,
providing support for growing leaf stalks, non-woody stems. E.g., Celery “strings”
Sclerenchyma cells
Sclerenchyma cells have thick, tough secondary walls that contain lignin. The cells which
are inflexible and non-stretchable are generally located in regions of plant bodies that are not
actively growing, such as the bark or mature stems. It is the tissue which makes the plant hard
and stiff. We have seen the husk of a coconut. It is made of sclerenchymatous tissue. The
cells of this tissue are dead. They are long and narrow as the walls are thickened. This tissue
is present in stems, around vascular bundles, in the veins of leaves and in the hard covering of
seeds and nuts.
Sclerenchyma cells are much more rigid than collenchyma cells.
Unlike parenchyma cells, sclerenchyma cells cannot elongate.
Sclerenchyma cells occur in plant regions that have stopped lengthening.
Two types of sclerenchyma cells are fibers and sclereids, are specialized entirely for
mechanical support.
o Fibers are long, slender, and tapered, and usually occur in groups. Fibers from hemp are
used for making rope, and fibers from flax are woven into linen.
o Sclereids are irregular in shape and shorter than fibers. They have very thick, lignified
secondary walls.
The hardness of nut shells and the pits of peaches and the gritty texture to pear fruits is due
to sclereids.
Differences between the parenchyma, collenchyma and sclerenchyma cells
The Vascular Tissue (Xylem and Phloem makes up vascular tissues)
The xylem and the phloem constitute vascular bundles that makes it suitable to transport
water, minerals and sugars to different parts of the plant.
- Xylem: carry water & minerals salts upward from the roots up the plant stem and into the
leaves.
- Phloem: transports sugars (food) and other organic nutrients from the leaves to other plant
parts.
The Xylem is composed of two types of cells: tracheids and vessels.
Tracheids are long, thin elongated cells with tapered ends.
Vessels forms a continuous, hollow tube with a row of cells aligned end to end, forming long
micropipes or xylem vessels.
Vessel elements are generally wider and shorter than tracheids. The vessel elements have
openings in their end walls. In some plants, the vessel elements lose their end wall, thus
allowing water and minerals to flow freely from one cell to another.
Tracheids and Vessels
The Phloem
The Phloem is composed of sieve tubes and companion cells.
Within the phloem, there are long cylindrical cells called sieve-tube elements. Between the
sieve tubes, there are sieve plates with large pores where sucrose and other organic
compounds move from cell to cell through these pores.
Companion cells – One or more companion cells is attached to each sieve tube to provide
energy during the transportation of substances in the phloem. A sieve tube is completely
dependent on its companion cell(s).
The Phloem
The phloem transports materials from the roots to the leaves as well as from the leaves to the
roots.
