Plant Tissues

Bio100 Lilybeth F. Olowa, Ph.D.

Jeremy Roy Augustus I. Gomez, MSc.
Department of Biological Sciences
Plant Tissues
• The arrangement of tissues in the plant as a
whole and in its major organs reveals a definite
structural and functional organization.
• The body of a vascular plant is
composed of three (3) tissue systems:
1. dermal;
2. vascular; &
3. fundamental (or ground) tissue
systems
 Plant Tissues

(A) Meristematic tissues (B) Permanent tissues

(divide throughout life) (lost ability to divide further)

Simple tissues Complex tissues

(composed of a single cell (more than one
type) type of cells)
Parenchyma
Xylem
Collenchyma

Sclerenchyma Phloem
Meristematic Tissues
Meristems are group of cells capable of
producing new cells through repeated cell
divisions
a. Immature , undifferentiated cells
b. Intercellular spaces absent
c. Shape - rounded, oval, or polygonal
d. Thin cellulose cell walls present
e. Vacuoles may be small or absent
f. Abundant cytoplasm
g. Inorganic inclusions absent
h. High rate of metabolic activity
Classification of Meristems
based on their position in plant body
Type of Meristem Location Function

Apical Meristem Tips of stems and roots Growth; increase length

(shoot and root apical at tips.
meristems).

Intercalary Between the tip and base of Growth; increase the

meristem stems & leaves. length between nodes.
e.g. internodes, leaf sheaths
of monocots
Lateral Meristem Sides of stems and roots. Growth; increase in diameter.
e.g. Intrafasicular cambium,
interfasicular cambium, cork
cambium
Locations of the three types of Apical (shoot) meristem showing the primary
meristematic tissues. meristems: protoderm, procambium, &
ground meristem
Classification of Meristems
based on origin/origin of initiating cells
• Primary meristems
– If the initials are direct descendants of embryonic
cells that never ceased to be concerned with
meristematic activity, the resulting meristem is
called primary.
– Examples: protoderm, procambium, &
ground meristem
• Secondary meristems
– If, however, the initials originate from cells that
had differentiated, then resumed meristematic
activity, the resulting meristem is called
secondary.
Examples of secondary meristems
– cork cambium (or phellogen) – arises from the
epidermis or various parenchymatous tissues in
the cortex and deeper layers of the bark
• gives rise to the periderm, which replaces the
epidermis

– vascular cambium – produces secondary xylem

and secondary phloem
- this system differentiates from the procambium,
which is ultimately derived from an apical meristem
Vascular cambium
- is a cylinder of
meristematic cells one cell
thick that develops from
parenchyma cells

- between the phloem

and xylem tissues
Tissue Development
The Three Tissue Systems
• Dermal (complex tissues)
– “skin” or covering of the plant
– single layer of tightly packed
cells that covers & protects plant
• Vascular (complex tissues)
– transport materials between
roots & shoots
– xylem & phloem tissues
• Ground/Fundamental (simple
tissues)
– everything else: storage,
photosynthetic
– bulk of plant tissue
 Dermal Tissue
• Dermal tissue is the outer covering of a plant
and consists of epidermal cells.
1) Epidermal Tissue (epidermis):
• Forms outermost layer
– Cuticle: Waxy covering
» Reduces evaporation
» Inhibits microorganism invasion
– Root Hairs: extended root surface
» Greatly increase the root’s surface area for water
absorption

2) Peridermal Tissue (periderm):

• Only in woody plants (“bark = dead cells”)
• Protection; support
– Some epidermal cells have projections called
trichomes (hairlike), that help protect the leaf
and also give it a fuzzy appearance.
» Keep leaf surfaces cool and reduce evaporation

– On the underside of leaves, dermal tissue

contains guard cells, which regulate water
loss and gas exchange.
» Paired sausage-shaped cells
» Flank a stoma – the epidermal opening
- Passageway for oxygen, carbon dioxide, and
water vapor
 Vascular Tissue

• Vascular tissue forms a transport

system that moves water and
nutrients throughout the plant.

• Vascular tissue is made up of xylem,

a water-conducting tissue, and
phloem, a food-conducting tissue.
– Vascular tissue contains several
types of specialized cells.

• Xylem consists of tracheids and

vessel elements.
• Phloem consists of sieve tube
elements and companion cells.
 Tracheid Companion
cell
Vessel Sieve tube
element element
Xylem Phloem
 Ground/Fundamental Tissue

• Between the dermal and vascular

tissues
• Ground tissue internal to the vascular
tissue is pith; ground tissue external to
the vascular tissue is cortex.
• Ground tissue includes cells
specialized for storage,
photosynthesis, and support.
A monocot stem (cross-section)
Dicot vs. monocot root (cross-section)
• Three kinds of ground tissues:

– Parenchyma tissue – thin-walled and with

large central vacuoles

– Collenchyma tissue - with strong, flexible

primary cell walls that help support larger
plants

– Sclerenchyma tissue - extremely thick, rigid

cell walls — tough and strong
 Simple Permanent
Tissues
Parenchyma Tissue
• Cell diameters essentially equal
• Cell walls thin
• Protoplasm present and active
• Capability for cell division even when the
cells are permanent cells

Parenchyma is derived from the Greek para, beside, and en-chein, “to
pour”, a combination of words that expresses the ancient concept of
parenchyma as a semiliquid substance “poured beside” other tissues that
are formed earlier and are more solid.
 Parenchyma tissue makes up large parts of
various organs
• Pith, the mesophyll of leaves, the pulp of
fruits, & endosperms of seeds

• In the cortex and pericycle which are

often wholly or in a large proportion

• And freely occur in xylem and phloem

Mesophyll of the leaf
Physiological functions of parenchyma
1. Water relations
2. Facing stresses
3. Photosynthesis
4. Growth, development and flowering
5. Storage
6. Respiration
7. Excretory function
Photosynthesis:
Palisade and spongy parenchyma in
leaves, “chlorenchyma” – contains ample
amount of chloroplasts
Facing stress or storage:
• those products which are dissolved in the
vacuolar sap or as solid substances in the
cytoplasm

- called ergastic substances ; which include

reserve or waste materials produced and
stored in a cell

Reserve materials: Starch, proteins,

and lipids
Waste products: Pigments, tannins,
and crystals
 Ergastic Substances
1. Tannins
- Found in tannin sacs or in individual
parenchyma cells

Tannins within the cytoplasm Tannin sacs inside the cells

 2. Mineral Crystals
a. Calcium carbonate crystals- “Cystoliths”
Cuticle
Epidermis
Cellulose
extension/stalk
CYSTOLITH
LITHOCYTE CaCO3
granules

Palisade
parenchyma
Spongy
parenchyma
Cystolith in leaf of Ficus elastica
 b. Calcium oxalate crystals
- Raphides, Idioblasts, Druses,
Styloids, Prismatic crystals,
Silica/Sand Crystals etc.
*Raphides- needle-like, long
and slender, parallel to each other
Prismatic crystals

Rosette crystals from Ixora sp. stem

 *Sand crystals/Silica deposits
- commonly found in masses of micro-
sphenoidal crystals packed into a cell

3. Starch grains
- Amyloplasts
(leucoplasts)
 4. Pigments
- carotenoid pigments in “chromoplasts”
– globules or crystals

Crystals in pith cells of Daucus

Globules in Capsicum sp. carota
5. Fats and Oil Droplets
- skin or rind of many Rutaceae fruits
(Orange, Lemon etc.)
- bark and leaves of Cinnamomum sp.
(Lauraceae)
• Fruit of Nutmeg (Myristicaceae)
6. Protein granules ― “ Aleurone granules”
- endosperm of castor (Ricinus sp.)

Crystalloid + Globoid = Aleurone Grain

 Collenchyma Tissues
• Collenchyma cells and parenchyma cells are similar
to one another both physiologically and structurally.

– Both have complete protoplasts capable of resuming

meristematic activity, and their cell walls are typically
primary and nonlignified.

• The difference between the two lies chiefly in the

thicker walls of collenchyma cells; in addition the
more highly specialized collenchyma cells are
longer than most kinds of parenchyma cells.
• Because of the similarities between the two
tissues and the structural and functional variability
of parenchyma,
– collenchyma commonly is considered as a thick- walled
kind of parenchyma structurally specialized as a
supporting tissue.

• The terms parenchyma and collenchyma are also

related, but in the latter the first part of the word,
derived from the Greek colla, glue, refers to the
thick glistening wall characteristic of collenchyma.
• Found in elongating parts of many stems
• Less common in other parts
petioles and midribs of leaves
specialized stems– pedicels and peduncles
• Acts as a supporting tissue (in herbaceous
plants)
• Elongated cells which remain alive after maturity
(in contrast with sclerenchyma)
• Cell walls are markedly thickened; thickenings
are uneven
• Extra thickenings----Pectin
• Non-lignified
Example:
• In the stem - Begonia sp.
• In stems and petioles with protruding ribs
• In leaves- margin or sides of the vein
Sclerenchyma Tissues
• dead at the maturity

• no living protoplasts

• present in mechanical tissues

• supporting ( mechanical strength)

and protecting tissue

• secondary walls present--- Lignin

- uniform thickenings

• low percentage of water

 • Two (2) basic types of sclerenchyma cells:
1. Fiber cells
2. Sclereids/stone cells

FIBERS
SCLERIDS
Different Forms (shapes) of Sclereids
 Complex Permanent
1. Periderm Tissues
-It is the secondary protective (dermal) tissue that
replaces the epidermis during growth in thickness of
stems and roots of gymnosperms and dicotyledons (i.e.,
secondary growth).
-Consists of 3 layers:
- phellem (cork)
- phelogen (cork cambium)
- pheloderm
• The most important function is to reduce the loss of
water and solutes from interior tissues and to protect a
plant from unfavorable environmental conditions.
 Phellem (the cork)
Consists of cells that are dead at maturity, and
their primary walls become covered from the
inside by the secondary wall which consists of
parallel suberin lamellae alternating with wax
layers.
2. Phellogen (cork cambium)
-The lateral meristem and is one cell layer thick
and encircles the stem. It produces periderm
centrifugally. The layer of cork cells formed is
impermeable for water and gases.
3. Phelloderm
-parenchyma cells are produced centripetally
(i.e. to the inside of the stem or root) by the
phellogen as a part of the periderm.

- structurally appear similar to cells of the cortex.

 2. Phloem
– The main components of phloem are
• sieve tube elements/members
• companion cells
– Sieve elements have no nucleus and only a sparse
collection of other organelles.
• so-named because end walls are perforated - allows
cytoplasmic connections between vertically-stacked
cells.
– Companion cell provides energy.
– Conducts sugars and amino acids (food) and minerals
from the leaves, to the rest of the plant
 Companion cells:
• Each sieve tube element is
associated with one or more
companion cells.
– Transport products of
photosynthesis from cells in leaves
to sieve tube elements through
plasmodesmata
– Synthesize the various proteins used
in the phloem
– Contain many mitochondria for
cellular respiration to provide the
cellular energy required for active
transport
 Phloem
transport is
from source
to sink.
3. Xylem

The water
conducting
elements of
xylem are:

- tracheids
- vessel
elements
• Tracheids

– Characteristics
• tapered elongated cells
• connect to each other through pits
• secondary cell walls strengthened with lignin
• dead at functional maturity

– Functions
• transport of water plus dissolved minerals
• support
• Vessel Elements

– Characteristics
• shorter and wider than tracheids
• possess thinner cell walls than tracheids
• Aligned end-to-end to form long micropipes
• dead at functional maturity

– Functions
• transport of water plus dissolved minerals
• support
 More xylem is needed for more water
transport: secondary growth

phloem
xylem
 Primary
growth in
a stem
Secondary growth:
a vascular meristem
(cambium) forms
between the xylem
and phloem
 Secondary growth:
new xylem to the
inside, new phloem to
the outside
primary
xylem

new
secondary
xylem dividing
vascular
cambium

new
secondary primary
phloem phloem
 Secondary xylem
(wood) and phloem
(bark)
 References
• Evert, R.F. 2006. Esau’s Plant Anatomy. 3rd
ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
• Kaplan, D.R. 2001. The science of plant
morphology: definition, history, and role in
modern biology. American Journal of Botany,
88(10): 1711–1741.
• Romero, C. 2005. Lectures taken from N.
Campbell and J. Reece, PowerPoint Lectures
for Biology, 7th ed., Pearson Education, Inc.