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    Sclerenchyma Tissue Characteristics, Types and Functions | Free Biology Notes

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    This article we will discuss about Sclerenchyma Tissue Characteristics, Types and Functions

    Sclerenchyma Tissue Characteristics

    • Sclerenchyma are dead mechanical tissues occurring in mature organs of plant body
    • Cells of sclerenchyma are long, narrow, thick walled, lignified without protoplasts
    • Pits are also found. It may be simple pits or bordered pits
    • Found in cortex, pericycle, xylem and phloem region
    • Main function is provides mechanical support to plant organs
    • Based on size and shape sclerenchyma cells are of two types:- Sclerenchyma fibres and Sclereids

    Sclerenchyma fibres

    • Fibres are longest cell in higher plants. 1­3mm in angiosperm and 2­8mm in
    • gymnosperms i.e. Boehmeria nivea (55cm)
    • Walls of fibres are lignified, hard, uniformly thickened with pointed ends
    • They have simple pits as well as bordered pits
    • Fibres are associated with vascular bundles
    • Their cell lumen is very narrow
    • They are present in almost all plant parts
    • Main function is provide mechanical support in plants

    Classification of fibres: based on structure

    Libriform Fibres

    • Mainly obtained from phloem
    • They are also obtained from pericycle
    • Libriform Fibres are thick walled and very much long fibres
    • They are having narrow lumen
    • They have simple pits

    Fibre Tracheids

    • They are thick walled and short fibres
    • They are obtained only from xylem
    • They have bordered pits

    Classification of fibres: based on position

    Surface fibres

    • Surface fibres are found on the covering of seed, leaves or fruits
    • They are economically very important

    i) Seed Surface fibre (Cotton fibres)

    • They are found on surface of seed coats
    • Cotton fibres are made of cellulose
    • They are non-lignified fibres and hence they are called false fibres
    • Cotton fibres two types
    • Lint – Very long and used in clothing
    • Fuzz – Small and used in filling

    ii) Coir Fibres (coconut)

    • Obtained from the mesocarp of coconut
    • They are lignified fibres and hence are true fibres

    iii) Leaves Fibre (Pineapple)

    • The leaves of pineapple are used to make the fibre
    • The fibre from the leaves is obtained either by manually retting the leaves under water or by mechanically extracting them

    Classification of fibres: based on position

    Intraxylary fibres / Wood fibres

    • They are associated with the primary and secondary xylem
    • They are hard and non flexible
    • They cannot knitted
    • Commercially and economically not so much useful
    • Ex. Saccharum munja

    Extraxylary Fibres / Bast Fibres

    • They are associated with the tissues outside the xylem (like phloem, pericycle and pith of a plant cell)
    • They are soft fibres and flexible
      They can be knitted and economically very useful
    • Fibres obtained from phloem of
      1. Corchorus capsularis (Jute)
      2. Crotalaria juncea (Hemp fibre)
      3. Fibres obtained from pericycle
      4. Cannabis sativa (Hemp)
      5. Linum usitatissimum (Flax Fibre)

    Sclerenchyma:- sclereids

    • Sclereids are short, extremely thick walled and their ends are not pointed
    • Sclereids are various shaped and very small lumen
    • They generally found in hard parts of the plant
    • The sclereids provide mechanical support and hardness
    • Sclereids are classified into five types

    Types of sclereids

    I. Brachysclereids / Stone Cells / Grit Cells

    • Appearance: Deeply resemble parenchymatous cells and are roughly isodiametric
    • Occurrence: It is commonly present in the fleshy portions of fruit
    • Example: Flesh of pear fruit, sapota & Annona

    II. Macrosclereids / Malpighian Cells / Rod Cells

    Appearance: Elongated and columnar in shape
    Occurrence: Found in the outer epidermal cells of seed
    Example: Seed coat of Pisum species

    III. Osteosclereids / Bone cells / Pillar Cells / Prop Cells

    Appearance: These are bone like sclereids with lobed towards the end
    Occurrence: Usually found below the epidermal layer, i.e. hypodermis of seeds and leaves of certain plants belonging to the Xerophytes category.
    Example: Leaves of Hakea species.

    IV. Astrosclereids / Stellate cells

    Appearance: They appear star-like and deeply lobed with the radiating arms from the central body
    Occurrence: Extends from the leaves upper epidermis to the lower epidermis.
    Example: Leaves of Thea, Olea, Nymphaea etc

    V. Trichosclereids (Needle-like cells)

    Appearance: They seem hair-like, more elongated, and branched cells stretching towards the intercellular spaces.
    Occurrence: Present in specialized tissues of leaves and roots
    Example: Aerial roots of Monstera sp, leaves of olive, musa and water-lily etc.

    VI. Filiformsclereids (Fibre-like cells)

    Appearance: They are much elongated, sparingly-branched & uncommon kind of a cell.
    Occurrence: Found in the specialized tissues of leaves.
    Example: Leaves of Olea

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