An Overview of the General

Tissue Types in Plants, including

their functions & form
PLANT TISSUES
By Norby Bautista
PLANT TISSUES
Plants have a variety of tissues,
from the most simplest
meristematic tissues, which cell
divide, grows, develops and
matures into much complex
permanent tissues with a
particular function, based on its
location in the cell body. The
good thing about plant tissues are
that some can regenerate back
into the meristematic tissues.
Multiple cross-sections of a stem showing
phloem and companion cells (right)
Plant Tissue Types:
Meristematic tissues
plants exhibit open growth grow as long
as they live

Plant growth occurs only in the meristems
regions of continuous cells division

Located at the tips of stems and branches
and at the tips of the roots and area of
attachment of leaves to stems; between the
xylem and phloem in woody plants
Meristematic tissues
New cells formed in the meristems are all
alike and eventually differentiate into cells
of other tissue types vascular, dermal
and ground tissues
2 types of lateral meristems
Vascular cambium located between the
xylem and phloem and produces additional
vascular tissues
Cork cambium found outside the phloem
and produces the cork that replace the
epidermis of woody stems and roots
Epidermal tissues:
Epidermis
The outermost layer of the primary plant body
covering leaves, floral parts, fruits, seeds,
stems and roots
One-cell layer thick
Composed mostly of unspecialized cells, either
parenchyma or sclerenchyma
Have guard cells that form the stomata which
serves as pores for gas exchange
May also contain trichomes
Periderm
Replaces the epidermis in stems and roots that
exhibit secondary growth
Composed of parenchyma, sclerenchyma,
cork and phelloderm
Detail of the epidermis of a bramble leaf
Plant Tissue Types:
Parenchyma Tissues
Have primary thin walls

Grouped together form the parenchyma
tissue most common type of cells and tissue
type that make up all soft parts of a plant

Metabolically active and usually alive once they
mature
Types of parenchyma cells:
Chlorenchyma involved in photosynthesis;
abundant in chloroplasts; thin walls allow light
and CO
2
to pass through to the chloroplasts
Glandular cells secrete nectar, fragrances,
mucilage, resins, and oils; contain few
chloroplasts but increased number of golgi
apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum must
transport large quantities of sugar and minerals
into themselves transform them metabolically
then transport the product out
Transfer cells mediate the short-distance
transport of materials by means of a large,
extensive plasma membrane capable of holding
numerous molecular pumps
Leaf anatomy. Legend: 1) cuticle 2) upper
epidermis 3) palisade mesophyll 4) spongy
mesophyll 5) lower epidermis 6) stoma 7)
guard cells 8) xylem 9) phloem 10) vascular
bundle
Plasmolized plant cells
Types of parenchyma cells:
Cells found on the aperture of anthers
and fruits
Phloem tissue
Plant Tissue Types:
Collenchyma Tissues
Have primary walls that remains thin in some
areas but becomes thickened in other areas,
most often at the corners
Walls exhibit plasticity ability to be deformed
by pressure or tension and to retain the new
shape even if the pressure and tension ceases
Present in elongating shoot tips that must be
long and flexible vines (layer beneath the
epidermis); elongating shoot tips ( especially
those exposed to strong winds)
Collenchyma cells:

Provide support like rubber of a tire;
counterbalance through its resistance the
tendency of parenchyma cells to expand and
thus stem becomes rigid

Produced only in shoot tips and young petioles;
found also in roots of epiphytes but not in
underground roots and shoots
Ground tissues:
Cortex
Located to the outside and/or around the
vascular tissues
Pith
Located in the center of the stem

Both are mainly composed of parenchyma cells
Found beneath the cortex are collenchyma cells
that provide support to the stem may
eventually develop into sclerenchyma cells
Monocots do not have a defined cortex and pith
while dicots have

Vascular tissues:

Carries water and
nutrients all
throughout the
plant body and
helps support the
plant body
Xylem
moves water and
minerals upward
from roots to
leaves
Growth rings in an unidentified tree
Xylem
2 kinds are found on angiosperms; tracheids
only on gymnosperms
Tracheids
long, thick walled sclerenchyma, narrow cells
of xylem with thin separations between them
water moves from one tracheid to another
through pits, which are thin, porous areas of
the cell wall.
Vessel elements
short, sclerenchyma, wide cells with no end
walls
do not have separations between them
arranged end to end liked stacked barrels
stack on top of each other
wider than tracheids, and more water moves
through them.
Phloem
moves sugars or
saps in both
directions throughout
the plant originating
in the leaves
Have 2 kinds of cells:
sieve tube members
and companion cells
Sieve tube members
Cells that conduct sap
Stacked to form long
sieve tubes
Have perforated sieve
plates where sugars
move from cell to cell
Companion cell
parenchyma cells of phloem that enable (assist)
the sieve tube elements to function
control the movement of substances through
the sieve tubes
Partnership is vital and neither can live without
each other
Plant Tissue Types:
Sclerenchyma Tissues
Has both a primary wall and thick secondary
wall that is almost always lignified

Secondary walls have elastic properties can
be deformed but return to their original shape
and size when the pressure or tension is
released

Develop mainly in mature organs that have
stopped growing and have achieved their
proper size and shape

Cells do not grow secondary walls are rigid
and strong and prevents the protoplast from
expanding
Plant Tissue Types:
Sclerenchyma Tissues
Types of sclerenchyma cells:
Conducting sclerenchyma
Tracheids long and narrow with tapered
ends; contain no perforations; found in all
vascular plants
Vessel elements short and wide with
perpendicular end walls; must contain 1 or 2
perforations
Types of sclerenchyma cells:
Mechanical sclerenchyma non-conducting
and are of 2 types: fibers and sclereids
Fibers long and flexible and are found in
areas where strength and flexibility are
important (woods, trunk and branches); some
remains alive at maturity and carry out an
active metabolism; usually occur in strands
(fibers of flax and linen
Sclereids shorter and more or less
isodiametric or cuboidal; brittle and flexible
Form hard, impenetrable surfaces such as
shells of nuts and pits or stones of fruits

Legend:
1 -pith
2 -protoxylem
3 -xylem
4 phloem
5 -Sclerenchyma
(bast fibre)
6.-cortex
7.-epidermis Cross section of a stem
Any Questions?
Norberto R. Bautista
c/o Department of Biology
College of Arts & Sciences
Rizal Technological University
Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City
Philippines