Permanent Tissue

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Permanent tissue is composed of cells that have lost the meristematic power and do not divide further. They may be living or dead cells, and thin-walled or thick-walled. Based on the composition of cells, permanent tissue is classified into two – Simple and Complex tissues.

Simple permanent tissue

Permanent tissue made of a single type of cells is called a simple permanent tissue. It forms a homogeneous (uniform) mass of cells. There are three types of simple tissues.

Parenchyma

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  • Parenchyma is the most common type of unspecialized tissue.
  • They are thin walled cells, more or less isodiametric in shape, with or without intercellular space.
  • They have various shapes – oval, spherical or polygonal.
  • The cell wall is made of cellulose.
  • The main function of parenchyma cells is storage.
  • They are present in the cortex, pith, epidermis and pericycle.
  • Chlorenchyma: When the parenchyma cells contain chlorophyll, they are called chlorenchyma and they carry out photosynthesis.
  • Aerenchyma: When parenchyma cells are arranged with a regular system of intercellular air spaces, it is called parenchyma. These cells are found in aquatic plants, and provide byoyancy to the plants.

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Collenchyma

  • Collenchyma consists of living cells with vacuolated protoplasm.
  • They are elongated cells and appear polygonal in cross section.
  • The cell wall thickening is uneven. Walls at the corners are thicker than the rest of the wall, and hence the cells may also sometimes appear circular in cross section.
  • The cell wall is made of cellulose and pectin.
  • Collenchymas cells give strength and flexibility to the growing parts of the plant.
  • They also have the ability to retain meristematic activity.

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Sclerenchyma

  • Sclerenchyma contains dead cells at maturity.
  • The cell walls are thickened by the presence of lignin.
  • Small pits are seen on the cell wall.
  • Sclerenchyma tissue provides mechanical support to the plants and helps them to withstand various physical pressures.
  • This tissue has 2 types of cells.

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Sclereids

      • They are also called sclerotic cells or stone cells.

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  • They are thick walled cells with various shapes.
  • The cell walls are strongly lignified and have a very narrow lumen.
  • They occur in the shells of nuts, in hard seeds, stony fruits and in the pulp of fruits like pear, guava and sapota, making them gritty.

Fibres

  • These are elongated sclerenchyma cells with pointed or tapering ends.
  • In cross section, they look angular.
  • The cell walls are hard, uniformely thickened and lignified.
  • They are present widely in xylem tissue, phloem tissue, cortex and pericycle.