BOTANY WITH BASICS OF HYDROBOTANY (AQUATIC PLANTS OF UKRAINE) - B.Ye. Yakubenko - 2011

VII. PLANT TISSUES

Mechanical Tissues

Sclereids, or Stony Cells

A group of dead parenchymatous Cells with strongly thickened, lignified, and mineralized Cell walls containing simple or branched pits. These cells occur in plant Organs either in groups or singly, forming idioblasts. Depending on their shape, they are classified into astrosclereids, brachysclereids, and osteosclereids.

Astrosclereids are star-shaped cells with numerous pointed appendages, serving as supportive cells in the leaves of camellia and olive.

Osteosclereids are elongated cells with widened ends, forming supportive tissue in the leaves of tea, begonia, and ivy.

Brachysclereids consist of isodiametric cells forming clusters of stony tissue in the stones of plums and cherries, walnut shells, and the flesh of pears and quinces. The shape of sclereids serves as an important diagnostic feature in the microscopic analysis of medicinal raw Materials such as bark, leaves, rhizomes, tubers, etc.