1. Leaf Anatomy

2. Cross Section of a Leaf 2

3. Leaf Tissues
A leaf is considered a plant organ and typically consists of the following tissues:
An epidermis that covers the upper and lower surfaces
An interior parenchyma called the mesophyll
An arrangement of veins (the vascular tissue).

4. Epidermis
The epidermis is the outer one- or multi-layered group of cells covering the leaf. The epidermis has several functions: - protection against water loss (a vaxy cuticle)‏ - regulation of gas and water vapor exchange (stomata)‏ - secretion of metabolic compounds - absorption of water (in some species) .
A multi-layered epidermis 4

5. Mesophyll
means "middle of the leaf", i.e. the tissues of a leaf that are located in between the layers of epidermis and carry on photosynthesis.
The mesophyll of the leaf consists of parenchyma tissue. Since the mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts the tissue is also referred to as chlorenchyma .
Chlorenchyma cell 5

6. Functions of the Mesophyll
In most dicot leaves the mesophyll is differentiated into palisade parenchyma (A) and spongy parenchyma (B).
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 6

7. Vascular Tissue Vascular tissue is a complex tissue.
The primary components of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem. These two tissues transport fluid and nutrients.
Vascular tissue is organized into discrete strands called vascular bundles.

8. Cross Section of Papyrus Leaf
e epidermis
bb bulliform cells (they cause the leaf to roll up in response to low water availability )
skl sclerenchyma
cs vascular bundle 8

9. Clivia leaf cross section
silná kutikula, ztlustlá epidermis
 The epidermis has a thick cuticle. 9

10. European Yew (Taxus baccata) Cross Section of a Needle
X – xylem
f - phloem
skl – sclerenchyma
e – epidermis
ku – cuticle
ka – cambium
pp – palisade parenchyma
hp – spongy parenchyma 10

11. Rubber fig (Ficus elastica) Cross Section of a Leaf
pp - palisade parenchyma hp - spongy parenchyma
e - epidermis ku - cuticle cs - vascular bundle st - stoma 11

12. Resources
Internet:
r/anatomie_list.pdf tu
commons.wikimedia.org 12

13. Thanks for your attention
Lenka Rydvalova 13