Types of Plant Cell

Types of plant cells and tissues
Plant cells differentiate from undifferentiated meristematic cells (analogous to the stem
cells of animals) to form the major classes of cells and tissues
of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and reproductive structures, each of which may be
composed of several cell types.
Parenchyma
Parenchyma cells are living cells that have functions ranging from storage and support
to photosynthesis (mesophyll cells) and phloem loading (transfer cells). Apart from the
xylem and phloem in their vascular bundles, leaves are composed mainly of
parenchyma cells. Some parenchyma cells, as in the epidermis, are specialized for light
penetration and focusing or regulation of gas exchange, but others are among the least
specialized cells in plant tissue, and may remain totipotent, capable of dividing to
produce new populations of undifferentiated cells, throughout their
lives.[16] Parenchyma cells have thin, permeable primary walls enabling the transport of
small molecules between them, and their cytoplasm is responsible for a wide range of
biochemical functions such as nectar secretion, or the manufacture of secondary
products that discourage herbivory. Parenchyma cells that contain many chloroplasts
and are concerned primarily with photosynthesis are called chlorenchyma cells. Others,
such as the majority of the parenchyma cells in potatotubers and
the seed cotyledons of legumes, have a storage function.
Collenchyma
Collenchyma cells – collenchyma cells are alive at maturity and have thickened
cellulosic cell walls.[17] These cells mature from meristem derivatives that initially
resemble parenchyma, but differences quickly become apparent. Plastids do not
develop, and the secretory apparatus (ER and Golgi) proliferates to secrete additional
primary wall. The wall is most commonly thickest at the corners, where three or more
cells come in contact, and thinnest where only two cells come in contact, though other
arrangements of the wall thickening are possible.[17] Pectinand hemicellulose are the
dominant constituents of collenchyma cell walls of dicotyledon angiosperms, which may
contain as little as 20% of cellulose in Petasites.[18]Collenchyma cells are typically quite
elongated, and may divide transversely to give a septate appearance. The role of this cell
type is to support the plant in axes still growing in length, and to confer flexibility and
tensile strength on tissues. The primary wall lacks lignin that would make it tough and
rigid, so this cell type provides what could be called plastic support – support that can
hold a young stem or petiole into the air, but in cells that can be stretched as the cells
around them elongate. Stretchable support (without elastic snap-back) is a good way to
describe what collenchyma does. Parts of the strings in celery are collenchyma.
Cross section of a leaf showing various plant cell types
Sclerenchyma
Sclerenchyma is a tissue composed of two types of cells, sclereids and fibres that have
thickened, lignified secondary walls[17]:78 laid down inside of the primary cell wall. The
secondary walls harden the cells and make them impermeable to water. Consequently,
scereids and fibres are typically dead at functional maturity, and the cytoplasm is
missing, leaving an empty central cavity.Sclereids or stone cells, (from the
Greek skleros, hard) are hard, tough cells that give leaves or fruits a gritty texture. They
may discourage herbivory by damaging digestive passages in small insect larval stages.
Sclereids form the hard pit wall of peaches and many other fruits, providing physical
protection to the developing kernel. Fibres are elongated cells with lignified secondary
walls that provide load-bearing support and tensile strength to the leaves and stems of
herbaceous plants. Sclerenchyma fibres are not involved in conduction, either of water
and nutrients (as in the xylem) or of carbon compounds (as in the phloem), but it is
likely that they evolved as modifications of xylem and phloem initials in early land
plants.
cells of Arabidopsis thaliana epidermis

Xylem
Xylem is a complex vascular tissue composed of water-conducting tracheids or vessel
elements, together with fibres and parenchyma cells. Tracheids [19] are elongated cells
with lignified secondary thickening of the cell walls, specialised for conduction of water,
and first appeared in plants during their transition to land in the Silurian period more
than 425 million years ago (see Cooksonia). The possession of xylem tracheids defines
the vascular plants or Tracheophytes. Tracheids are pointed, elongated xylem cells, the
simplest of which have continuous primary cell walls and lignified secondary wall
thickenings in the form of rings, hoops, or reticulate networks. More complex tracheids
with valve-like perforations called bordered pits characterise the gymnosperms.
The fernsand other pteridophytes and the gymnosperms have only xylem tracheids,
while the flowering plants also have xylem vessels. Vessel elements are hollow xylem
cells without end walls that are aligned end-to-end so as to form long continuous tubes.
The bryophytes lack true xylem tissue, but their sporophytes have a water-conducting
tissue known as the hydrome that is composed of elongated cells of simpler
construction.
Phloem
Phloem is a specialised tissue for food transport in higher plants, mainly
transporting sucrose along pressure gradients generated by osmosis, a process
called translocation. Phloem is a complex tissue, consisting of two main cell types,
the sieve tubes and the intimately associated companion cells, together with
parenchyma cells, phloem fibres and sclereids.[17]:171 Sieve tubes are joined end-to-end
with perforate end-plates between known as sieve plates, which allow transport of
photosynthate between the sieve elements. The sieve tube elements
lack nuclei and ribosomes, and their metabolism and functions are regulated by the
adjacent nucleate companion cells. The companion cells, connected to the sieve tubes
via plasmodesmata, are responsible for loading the phloem with sugars.
The bryophytes lack phloem, but moss sporophytes have a simpler tissue with
analogous function known as the leptome.
This is an electron micrograph of the epidermal cells of a Brassica chinensis leaf. The stomates are also visible.
Epidermis
The plant epidermis is specialised tissue, composed of parenchyma cells, that covers the
external surfaces of leaves, stems and roots. Several cell types may be present in the
epidermis. Notable among these are the stomatal guard cells that control the rate of gas
exchange between the plant and the atmosphere, glandular and clothing hairs
or trichomes, and the root hairs of primary roots. In the shoot epidermis of most plants,
only the guard cells have chloroplasts. Chloroplasts contain the green pigment
chlorophyll which is needed for photosynthesis. The epidermal cells of aerial organs
arise from the superficial layer of cells known as the tunica (L1 and L2 layers) that
covers the plant shoot apex,[17] whereas the cortex and vascular tissues arise from
innermost layer of the shoot apex known as the corpus (L3 layer). The epidermis of
roots originates from the layer of cells immediately beneath the root cap. The epidermis
of all aerial organs, but not roots, is covered with a cuticle made of polyester cutin or
polymer cutan (or both), with a superficial layer of epicuticular waxes. The epidermal
cells of the primary shoot are thought to be the only plant cells with the biochemical
capacity to synthesize cutin.[20]

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Types of plant cells and tissues

cells of Arabidopsis thaliana epidermis

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