sclerenchyma

sclerenchyma
—sclerenchymatous /sklear'eng kim"euh teuhs, skler'-/, adj.
/skli reng"keuh meuh/, n. Bot.
supporting or protective tissue composed of thickened, dry, and hardened cells.
[1860-65; SCLER- + (PAR)ENCHYMA]

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▪ plant tissue
      any of various kinds of hard, woody cells that serve the function of support in plants. Mature sclerenchyma cells are dead cells that have heavily thickened walls containing lignin. Such cells occur in many different shapes and sizes, but two main types occur: fibres and sclereids. Fibres are greatly elongated cells whose long, tapering ends interlock, thus providing maximum support to a plant. They can be found almost anywhere in the plant body, including the stem, the roots, and the vascular bundles in leaves. Sclereids are extremely variable in shape and are present in various tissues of the plant such as the periderm, cortex, pith, xylem, and phloem. They also occur in leaves and fruits and constitute the hard shell of nuts and the outer hard coat of many seeds.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sclerenchyma — Scle*ren chy*ma, n. [NL., from Gr. sklhro s hard + enchyma as in parenchyma.] 1. (Bot.) Vegetable tissue composed of short cells with thickened or hardened walls, as in nutshells and the gritty parts of a pear. See {Sclerotic}. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sclerenchyma — [skli reŋ′kə mə] n. [ModL < Gr sklēros (see SCLERA) + enchyma, infusion: see PARENCHYMA] Bot. plant tissue of uniformly thick walled, dead cells, as in a stem, the shell of a nut, etc. sclerenchymatous [sklir΄eŋ kim′ə təs] adj …   English World dictionary

  • sclerenchyma — noun Etymology: New Latin Date: 1875 a protective or supporting tissue in higher plants composed of cells with walls thickened and often lignified • sclerenchymatous adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sclerenchyma — Plant cell type with thick lignified walls, normally dead at maturity and specialized for structural strength. Includes fibre cells, that are greatly elongated, and sclereids, that are more isodiametric. Intermediate types exist …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • sclerenchyma — noun A mechanical, supportive plant tissue consisting of aggregates of cells having thick, often mineralized walls …   Wiktionary

  • sclerenchyma — [sklɪə rɛŋkɪmə, sklə ] noun Botany strengthening tissue in a plant, formed from cells with thickened walls. Derivatives sclerenchymatous adjective Origin C19: mod. L., from Gk sklēros hard + enkhuma infusion …   English new terms dictionary

  • sclerenchyma —   Mechanical (supportive) tissue composed of empty, thick walled cells.   See also parenchyma …   Expanded glossary of Cycad terms

  • sclerenchyma — scle·ren·chy·ma …   English syllables

  • sclerenchyma — scle•ren•chy•ma [[t]sklɪˈrɛŋ kə mə[/t]] n. bot supporting or protective plant tissue composed of thickened and hardened cells • Etymology: 1860–65; scler + (par) enchyma scle•ren•chym•a•tous ˌsklɪər ɛŋˈkɪm ə təs, ˌsklɛr adj …   From formal English to slang

  • sclerenchyma — /sklɪəˈrɛŋkɪmə/ (say sklear rengkimuh) noun (of plants) supporting or protective tissue composed of thickened and hardened cells from which the protoplasm has usually disappeared. {scler(o) + Greek enchyma infusion} –sclerenchymatous… …  

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