 > A group of cells that are similar in structure and/or work together to achieve a particular function forms a

tissue.
 Most of the tissues in plants are supportive, which provides them with structural strength.
 > These tissues are dead, since dead cells can provide mechanical strength as easily as live ones, and
need less maintenance.
 > Plant Tissues are of two
types Meristematic & Permanent tissues.
Meristematic Tissue
- These are simple living tissues having thin walled compactly arranged immature cells which are capable of division
and formation of new cells.
Features of Meristematic tissues:
 Thin primary cell wall (cellulosic).
 > Intercellular spaces are absent (compact tissue).
 Generally vacuoles are absent, dense cytaplasm & prominent nuclei are present.
 Large numbers of cell organelles are present.
 > Active metabolic state, stored food is absent.
 Actively dividing cells are present in growing regions of plants, example: root & shoot tips.
Classification of Meristematic Tissues on the Basis of Origin
o Primary (Promeristem)
 > Derived directly from the meristems of embryo.
 They consist of cells derived from primary meristem.
 > They add to primary growth of plants.
o Secondary Meristematic Tissues
 > Formed by permanent tissues.
 These are having cells derived from primary permanent tissue.
 They usually add to the diameter of plants.
Classification of Meristematic
Tissues on the Basis of Location
o Apical Meristem
 > It is present at the growing tips of stems and roots.
 > Cell division in this tissue leads to the elongation of stem & root, thus it is involved in primary growth of the
plant.
o Intercalary Meristem
 > It is present behind the apex.
 > It is the part of apical meristem which is left behind during growth period.
 > These are present at the base of leaf & internode region.
-> These lead to the increase in the length of leaf (Primary), example: in grass stem, bamboo stem, mint stem etc.
o Lateral Meristem
 > It is also called as secondary meristem.
 It occurs along the sides of longitudinal axis of the plant.
 It gives rise to the vascular tissues.
 > Causes growth in girth of stem & root.
 > They are responsible for secondary growth.
Permanent Tissue
 > The permanent tissues are composed of those cells which have lost their capability to divide.
 They have definite shape, size and +hirkness. The permanent tissue may be dead or living.

 The division & differentiation of the cells of meristematic tissues give rise to permanent tissues.
 > In cell differentiation, developing tissue and organs change from simple to more complex forms to become
specialized for specific functions.
 The cells of permanent tissue loose the capacity to divide and attain a permanent shape, size and function.
 Permanent tissues are classified into two types on the basis of Structure and
Composition i.e. Simple Permanent Tissues
Simple Permanent Tissues
 > These are made up of same type of cells which are similar structurally and functionally.
 > They include two types of tissue
Protective tissues and Supporting Tissues.
o Protective Tissues: These tissues are primarily protective in function.
 They consist of Epidermis and
  Cork/Phellem.
 Epidermis forms one cell thick outermost layer of various body organs of plants such as leaves, flowers,
stems and roots.
 > Epidermis is covered outside by cuticle.
Cuticle is a water-proof layer of waxy substance called as cutin which is secreted by the epidermal cells.
 > Cuticle is very thick in xerophytes.
 > Cells of epidermis of leaves are not continuous at some places due to the presence of small pores called
as stomata.
> Each stomata is guarded by a pair of bean-shaped cells called as guard cells.
These are the only epidermal cells which possess chloroplasts, the rest being colourless.

Functions of Epidermis
 > The main function of epidermis is to protect the plant from desiccation and infection.
 > Cuticle of epidermis cuts the rate of transpiration and evaporation of water and prevents wilting.
 Stomata in epidermis allow gaseous exchange to occur during photosynthesis respiration.
 Stomata also helps in transpiration.
(ii) Cork or Phellem
- In older roots and stems, tissues at the periphery become cork cells or phellem
cells.
 > Cork is made up to dead cells with thick walls and do not have any intercellular spaces.
 > The cell walls in cork deposit waxy substance called as suberin.
 The cells of cork become impermeable to water and gases due to the deposition of suberin.
 > The cork cells are without any protoplasm but are filled with resins or tannins.
Functions of Cork
- Cork is protective in function. Cork cells prevent desiccation, infection and mechanical injury.
 Imperviousness, lightness, toughness, compressibility and elasticity make the cork commercially valuable.
 > Cork is used for insulation, as shock absorber in linoleum.
 Cork is used in the making of a variety of sport goods such as cricket balls, table tennis, shuttle cocks,
wooden paddles etc.
o Supporting Tissues: These are supportive in function.
 There are three types of Supporting tissues i.e. Parenchyma, Collenchyma and Sclerenchyma.
 (i) Parenchyma
 > It is the fundamental tissue.
 Tissue first time evolved in bryophyte.
 > Thin walled cells, oval or spherical in structure.
 > Cell wall mainly composed of cellulose & pectin.
 > Large central vacuole for food & water storage.
 > Primary function is food storage.
 Some parenchyma involved in excretory substance storage are so called as idioblast, storing such as resin,
tannin, gums & oils.
 > In typical parenchyma chlorophyll is absent.
 > Chloroplast containing parenchyma tissue are chlorenchyma which perform photosynthesis such as
mesophyll of leaves.
 > In hydrophytic plants aerenchyma (a type of parenchyma containing air spaces)
provides buoyancy.
- Parenchyma provides turgidity to cells.
(ii) Collenchyma
 It is the living mechanical tissue.
 > Elongated cells with thick corners.
 > Localized cellulose & pectin thickening.
 > Provides flexibility to plant parts & easy bending of various parts of plant.
 Present only in herbaceous dicot stem.
 > Present at thin margin of leaves.
 > Few chloroplasts may be present.
 Sclerenchyma
 Composed of extremely thick walled cells with little or no protoplasm.
 > Cells are dead & possess very thick lignified walls.
 > Lignin is water-proof material.

 Intercellular spaces are absent.

Cells of sclerenchyma are of two types
Sclereids and Fibres.
o Sclereids
 These are also called grit cells or stone cells.
 These are small cells, where lumen is so small due to higher thickening of cell wall, as present in drup fruit
(mango, coconut, walnut) in legume seeds (Macrosclereid).
o Fibers
-They are very long, narrow, thick, lignified cells. Lumen is large as compared to sclereids.
They are generally 1-3 mm long.
 > In the thick walls of both the fibres and sclereids are present thin areas called as pits.
 > Scirenchyma Fibres are used in the manufacture of ropes, mats & certain textile fibres.
 > Jute and coir are obtained from the thick bundle of fibres.
Complex Permanent Tissues
 > It consists of more than one type of cells which work together as a unit.
 It helps in transportation of organic materials, water & minerals.
 It is also known as conducting or vascular tissue.
 Xylem & phloem together form vascular bundles.
Xylem
 > It is also known as wood and is a vascular and mechanical tissue.
 > Thick walled cells are found in the form of tubular passages.
 > Xylem consists of four types of cells called as elements Tracheids, Vessels, xylem parenchyma and xylem
sclerenchyma.
(i) Tracheids
-> They are elongated angular dead cells (primitive elements) mainly involved in conduction of water and minerals in
gymnosperms.
(ii) Vessles
 They are advance element (generally found in angiosperms).
 Vessels are cylindrical tube like structures placed one above the other end to end which form a continuous
channel for efficient conduction of water.
(iii) Xylem parenchyma
-> They are small & thick walled parenchymatous cells subjected for storage of starch (food).
(iv) Xylem sclerenchyma
 > Thy are non-living fibres with thick walls and narrow cavities provide mechanical support.
 > Except xylem parenchyma all other xylem elements are dead.
 > The annual rings present in the trunk of a tree are xylem rings.
 By counting the number of annual rings, we can determine the age of a tree.
Phloem
-> They also consist of both
parenchymatous and schlerenchymatous cells.
-> Phloem consists of four types of element which are Sieve tubes, Companion cells, Phloem fibre and Phloem
parenchyma.
(i) Sieve tubes
 > The end walls of sieve tube cells are perforated by numerous pores, called as sieve plates.
 Nucleus of sieve cell degenerates at maturity. However, cytoplasm persists, because of protoplasmic
continuation of sieve tube with companion cell through plasmodesmata.
 > Sieve cells possess slime protein or protein which is concerned with growth and repair of sieve cells.
(ii) Companion cells
 > Companion cells have dense cytoplasm and
 prominent nuclei.
 > Sieve cells & companion cells are so called sister cells because they originate from single mother cell.
(iii) Phloem fibre
- They give mechanical support to sieve tubes.
(iv) Phloem parenchyma
-›They store food and help in radial conduction of food.
(v) Leptome
 > Main part of phloem involved in conduction of food, which is sieve tube.
 In xylem, only unidirectional movement is possible while in phloem bidirectional movement can occur.
 > In phloem, except phloem sclerenchyma all elements are living.