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WHICH ARE THE PARTS OF MESOPHYLL?
Leaves consist usually of three different tissues: the mesophyll, the epidermis and the vascular tissues. The mesophyll is a parenchyma tissue. It is a true assimilation tissue. In the leaves of most ferns and phanerogams, it is organized into palisade parenchyma and spongy parenchyma. This tissue forms the bulk of the leaf. It makes up the green tissue of the leaf and consists of thin-walled cells containing chloroplasts. In most dicot leaves the mesophyll is differentiated into palisade parenchyma and spongy parenchyma. The palisade parenchyma consists of thin-walled cells which are usually cylindrical in shape. These cells contain large numbers of chloroplasts. The spongy mesophyll are usually ball-shaped with large intercellular spaces, but usually contains f fewer chloroplasts than the palisade cells. The palisade mesophyll, bundle sheath and spongy mesophyll are known as the ground parenchyma. There is a system of air spaces which communicate with the air chambers behind the stomata. Since the mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts the tissue is also referred to as chlorenchyma.

Functions of the Mesophyll

    The palisade cells are responsible for photosynthesis because they contain chloroplasts.
    The spongy mesophyll, together with the intercellular air spaces, allow for the interchange of gases.


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