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Ragweed pith
Primary pit fields
Primary pit fields
Wall, face view
Nucleate cells
Compact parenchyma
Sclerenchyma
Intercellular spaces
Leaf, xs
Chlorenchyma
Shoot tip, ls
Apical meristem
Vascular cambium
Secretory duct
Resin canal
Clusia duct
Root cortex
Leaf aerenchyma
Air chambers
Air chambers
Aerenchyma, Acorus
Stellate cells
Epidermis
Endodermis
Phloem, ls
Phloem, xs
Transfer cells
Bean cotyledon
Acorn, starch
Potato starch
Ice plant cell
Tannin cell
Small cells

Fig. 3.4-2a and b. Transverse section of a needle leaf of pine (Pinus). The long, cylindrical needle leaves of pine have an outer chlorenchyma made up of lobed cells (upper part of low magnification view) and a central vascular bundle (lower part of low magnification view). The two tissues are separated by a boundary parenchyma known as an endodermis. The endodermis is a single layer of cells (high magnification view) that fit against each other tightly with no intercellular spaces, and which have a waterproof Casparian strip that runs completely around each cell. Endodermis would be useless as a boundary if it had intercellular spaces.

            Even though these endodermis cells have an abundance of starch grains, red-stained nuclei are visible in several. The nuclei are lumpy and irregular, not spherical – this is due to being deformed by having starch grains pressing against them.