Permanent tissue is composed of cells that have lost the power of division. It is of three types: simple permanent tissue, complex permanent tissue, and special tissue.
Simple permanent tissues
A simple tissue is made up of similar types of cells forming a uniform homogenous mass of cells. They may be living or dead. The common examples are parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma.
- Parenchyma
- It consists of isodiametric, thin-walled living cells with intercellular space.
- Each cell is bounded by a cellulosic cell wall with a centrally located large vacuole and Peripheral cytoplasm having a nucleus.
- It is found almost in all parts of plants such as stem, root, leaf, flowers, and fruit.
- The main function is the storage of food material.
- It is modified into the following types based on specific functions such as
- It consists of isodiametric, thin-walled living cells with intercellular space.
- Collenchyma
- It is simple non-lignified living mechanical tissue with or without intercellular spaces and originated from the ground meristem.
- It is polygonal, spherical, or elongated with pointed or rounded ends.
- The cell walls unevenly thicken and rich in pectin and hemicellulose.
- It is found in the hypodermis of the herbaceous stem and dicot leaf.
- It may contain chloroplast and perform photosynthesis.
- Depending on the deposition of pectin in an intercellular space collenchyma may be angular (stem of Tagetus), lamellar (stem of Helianthus) and Lacunar of tubular (e.g. stem of Curcurbita)
- It provides mechanical support to stem and provide flexibility of organs (e.g. tendrils)
- It is simple non-lignified living mechanical tissue with or without intercellular spaces and originated from the ground meristem.
- Sclerenchyma
- It is a long, elongated cell with narrow and pointed ends.
- It is lignified and thick-walled dead cell that does not perform metabolism.
- It is developed either from procambium or from secondary parenchyma.
- It contains deposition of different types of lignin with pits.
- This is supporting tissue that withstands various strains which result from stretching and bending of plant organs without any damage.
- Most commonly, the sclerenchyma cells are grouped into fibers and sclereids.