CHAPTER – 6

TISSUES

Plant Tissues
Plant tissues are of two types on the basis of their dividing capacity:
1.Meristematic tissue (growing tissue)
2. Permanent tissue
 
MERISTEMATIC TISSUE

 These are living tissues which are composed of immature cells that are capable of
division throughout life.
 These tissues are found in growing regions of plants.
 Cells have thin cell wall.
 Cells contain dense cytoplasm and do not have vacuoles.
 Cells contain prominent and large nucleus.

Cells are metabolically highly active, so store food is absent.

Cells are compactly arranged because they do not have intercellular spaces.

 Function: - Meristematic tissue is responsible for the growth in length and width
(girth) of plant body.

Classification of meristematic tissue

On the basis of their location meristematic tissues are of three types.
(i) Apical meristem: It is present at the growing tips of stems and roots.
They are responsible for increase in the length of plant organs.
  
 
 

(ii) Intercal ary meristem:

It is the part of apical meristem which is left behind during growth period. They are short
lived and convert into permanent tissue. These are present at the base of leaf or internodes.
Intercalary meristem may be present either at the node as in  grasses, bamboo and mints or
the base of Pinus leaves. They are responsible for the growth in length of plant organs.
(iii) Lateral meristem:
It lies on the lateral sides of stem and root or occurs along  the sides of longitudinal axis of
the plant. It helps in increasing the diameter (girth or width) of plant.  Hence helps in
secondary growth. 
2. Permanent tissue They are formed by division and differentiation of meristematic
tissue. They are composed of those cells which have lost the power of division (temporarily
or permanent) and attain a permanent shape, size and function.  Cells may be living or dead.
Cells may be oval, rounded, polygonal or elongated.
Permanent tissues are of two types:
(a) Simple permanent tissue
(b) Compound or complex permanent tissue
(a) Simple permanent tissue:- These tissues are made up of similar types of cells, that
perform a common function. They are protective and supportive in nature.
l Simple tissues are of three types :
(i) Parenchyma (ii) Collenchyma (iii) Sclerenchyma
(i) Parenchyma:-
l It is a living and basic packing tissue which consists of relatively unspecialized cells.
l Cells of these tissues have thin cell wall which is made up of cellulose.
l Cells of these tissues have dense cytoplasm with small nucleus and large vacuole.
l They are usually loosely packed because intercellular spaces are present between cells.

 Functions :-
l Storage of food and provide support to the plant.
 
Modification of parenchyma:
Chlorenchyma: Such type of parenchyma in which abundant quantity of chloroplasts are
found. (contains chloroplasts)
They are present in mesophyll of leaves.
Function:- Synthesis of food (Photosynthesis)
Aerenchyma:- Parenchyma is made up of rounded cells which surrounds the large air
cavities. It is found in aquatic plants or hydrophytes.
e.g. petiole of water hyacinth.
Function :- It provides buoyancy to the aquatic plants to help them float.
(ii) Collenchyma (Flexible tissue) :-
Cells of this tissue are living, elongated or vary in structure.  Cells of this tissue are
irregularly thick end at the corners due to the deposition of pectin. It is present below the
epidermis of leaf and herbaceous stem in the form of hypodermis.  Intercellular spaces are
very little or absent between cells of this tissue.  Collenchyma are usually absent in
monocots and in roots. Cells of Collenchyma contain few chloroplasts.

Collenchyma
Functions:-
1. It provides mechanical support (tensile strength) and elasticity.
2. It protects the cracking of lamina margin due to action of wind.
3. It provides flexibility to plant.
4. It allows easy bending in various parts of plant (leaf and stem) without breaking.
(iii) Sclerenchyma :-
1. Sclerencyma cells are dead cells and they are devoid to protoplasm.
2. The walls of cells of sclerenchyma are greatly thickened with deposition of lignin. Such
cell walls are called lignified.
3. Due to excessive thickening of the wall of a sclerenchymatous cell, its cavity or lumen
becomes nearly absent. The cells of sclerenchyma are closely packed without intercellular
spaces.
4. They are found in stems (around the vascular bundle), roots, veins of leves, hard
coverings of seed and nuts.
Function :- 
(i) It is the main mechanical tissue which provides mechanical support. It makes the
plant hard and stiff. Eg. Husk of coconut is made of this tissue.
(ii) It provides strength and enables the plant to bear various stresses.
(iii) It forms protective covering around seeds and nuts. It gives rigidity, flexibility
and elasticity to the plant body.

Sclerenchymatous cells are of two types in

structure :
1. Fibres 2. Sclereids
 
 
 
(B) Compound or complex permanent
tissue :
The complex tissues consist of more than one
type of cells. All these cell co-ordinate to
perform a common function. Complex tissues
transport water, mineral salts (nutrients) and
food material to various parts of plant body.
Complex tissues are of the following two types :
(i) Xylem or wood (ii) Phloem or bast
(i) Xylem :- Wood
Xylem is made up of four types of cells -
1. Tracheids
2. Tracheae or vessels Dead elements
3. Xylem fibres
4. Xylem parenchyma Living element
1. Tracheids: Tracheids are elongated cells with tapering ends. They also conduct water.
Since tracheids do not have open ends like the vessels, so the water has to pass from cell to
cell via the pits.
2. Vessels or tracheae : Very long tube like structures formed by a row of cells placed end
to end. The transverse walls between the vessels are completely dissolved to form
continuous channels or water-pipes.
Functions :
1. Tracheids and vessels help in long distance conduction of water and minerals upward
from the root system to various parts of plant.
2. Tracheids and vessels provides mechanical support.
3. Xylem fibre: These are dead and lignified sclerenchymatous cells which are mainly
supportive in function.
4. Xylem parenchyma: It is formed of living parenchymatous cells which helps in storage
of food and lateral conduction of water and minerals.
 

  
(ii) Phloem : It is also made up of four types of cells
1. Sieve tubes
2. Companion cells living elements
3. Phloem parenchyma
4. Phloem fibres   dead element

1. Sieve tubes : Sieve tubes are slender, tube-like structures composed of elongated thin-
walled cells, placed end to end. Their end walls are perforated by numerous pores and are
called sieve plates. Walls of sieve tubes are perforated.  The nucleus of each sieve cell
degenerates at maturity, however, cytoplasm persists in the mature cell.Thus, nuclei are
absent in mature sieve tube elements. The cytoplasm of one sieve tube element is
continuous with those of the sieve elements above and below by cytoplasmic connections
passing through the pores of the sieve plate.
 
2. Companion cells : These are associated with sieve tubes. These are smaller cells having
dense cytoplasm and prominent nucleus.The companion cells help the sieve tubes in the
conduction of food material. Sieve cells & companion cells are so called sister cell because
they originate from single mother cell.
3. Phloem parenchyma :
These are living and thin walled cells. It is also known as bast parenchyma. It helps in
conduction of food in radial direction.  It store various materials e.g. Resin, Latex,
Mucilage.
4. Phloem fibres : These are dead and sclerenchymatous cells. Phloem or bast fibres of
some plants are ource of commercial fibres e.g. Jute, Hemp, Flex.  They provide mechanical
support to the conducting elements.
Function of phloem : Phloem transport photosynthetically prepared food materials from
the leaves to the storage organs and latter from storage organs to the growing regions of the
plant body.
Protective tissue : These tissues are primarily protective in function. They are of two types
:
(1) Epidermis (2) Cork
1. Epidermis : It is the outermost layer of all organs of plant body which is formed from
parenchymal cells. It protects the internal tissue from mechanical injuries and entry of
germs.
Cuticle : The outer wall of epidermis of aerial parts of plant is deposited with a fatty
substance, called cutin which form a water proof layer called cuticle.  It checks the loss of
water by transpiration. Lower epidermis of dicot leaves have large number of microscopic
aperture called stomata.

Stomatum : Each stomatum is an elliptical apperture bounded by two kidney shaped guard
cells which regulate opening and closing stomatum.  Guard cells are kidney shaped in dicot
and dumb-bell shaped in monocot. Stomata helps in exchange of gases. It helps in loss of
water vapours called transpiration, develops a force called transpiration pull,which  helps in
absorbtion of water by the roots.
Root hairs : Epidermis of roots (epiblema) have root hairs which greatly increase their
surface area for absorption of water and minerals.  
2. Cork or Phellem :
Cork is the peripheral tissue of old stems and roots of woody trees and is formed due to
activity of cork cambium or phellogen (secondary lateral meristem). 
Cork cambium produces off new cell on its both sides, thus, forming cork (phellem) on the
outer side and the Secondary cortex or phelloderm on the inner side. It is made up of dead
cells with thick wall but no intercellular spaces.  The walls of cork cells are heavily
thickened by the deposition of an organic substance (a fatty substance), called suberin.
Suberin makes these cell impermeable to water and gases and it also helps in conservation
of water in the trees.

  Commercial importance of cork : Cork is light and highly compressible which does
not catch fire easily. Cork is used in the making of a variety of sports goods such as
cricket balls, table tennis, shuttle-cocks, wooden paddles etc.

  Functions :

1. Cork is protective in function.

2. Cork prevents desiccation (by preventing loss of water from plant.)
3. Cork prevents infection and mechanical injury.
4. Lenticels (pores) present in the cork provide aeration to the inner tissues.