Question

What are some of the functions of the parenchyma cells in the cortex and pith of a stem?

Answer 1

Answer-

According to the given question-

• Angiosperms have a shoot system that is found above the ground and consists of leaves flowers, stem, and branches as well as root system present below the ground and consists of roots and their branches.
• Root, stem, and leaf are considered as the vegetative organs of plant.
• Flowering plants have meristematic or embryonic tissue and due to which they grow and divide during their entire life cycle.
• Apical meristems, are found in the terminal bud of both shoot system and also in root tip divide and differentiate into one of the three primary meristems such as- Epidermal tissue, Ground tissue, and vascular tissue. Ground tissue leads to the formation of stems, leaves, and roots.

Ground tissue contains three types of cells - Parenchyma cells, Collenchyma cells, and Sclerenchyma cells.

• Parenchyma cells are the least specialized cells and found in all plant organs such as in root, stem, and leaves, and in all parts, they have a different function.
• In leaves Mesophyll they have chloroplast, and responsible for carrying photosynthesis.
• While in pith or cortex region they have plastids which are colorless and store photosynthesis product.
• In stem as well as in root they are responsible for the formation of a narrow ring of cortex found under the epidermis but in the stem, they are responsible for the formation of central pith with colorless plastids which helps in storage of water and photosynthetic product i.e. sugar.