Internal Parts of the Leaves in Dicot Plants

The dicot leaves lie horizontally with distinct upper and lower surfaces having unequal
illumination. The internal parts of the leaves in dicot plants or dorsiventral leaves are as follows
(1) Epidermis
There is hardly any difference between upper and lower epidermis
Lower epidermis is also composed of one layer with thin cuticle and many stomata
guarded by guard cells and vital for transpiration.
(2) Mesophyll
Ground tissue made up of chlorenchyma and intercellular spaces.
Mesophyll differentiated into upper palidase and lower spongy parenchyma.
Palisade cells contain numerous chloroplasts and are mainly concerned with
photosynthesis.
Spongy parenchyma with rounded cells contains less chloroplast but may contain stored
food in the form of starch and proteins.
(3) Vascular bundle
Conjoint, collateral and closed type.
Consists of xylem and phloem with xylem towards upper epidermis and phloem towards
lower epidermis.
Each bundle surrounded by sclerenchymatous bundle-sheath.
The outermost layer of the leaf is the epidermis. It consists of the upper and lower epidermis, which are
present on either side of the leaf. Botanists call the upper side the adaxial surface (or adaxis) and the
lower side the abaxial surface (or abaxis). The epidermis aids in the regulation of gas exchange. It
contains stomata, which are openings through which the exchange of gases takes place. Two
guard cells surround each stoma, regulating its opening and closing. Guard cells are the only epidermal
cells to contain chloroplasts.
The epidermis is usually one cell layer thick. However, in plants that grow in very hot or very cold
conditions, the epidermis may be several layers thick to protect against excessive water loss from
transpiration. A waxy layer known as the cuticle covers the leaves of all plant species. The cuticle reduces
the rate of water loss from the leaf surface. Other leaves may have small hairs (trichomes) on the leaf
surface. Trichomes help to avert herbivory by restricting insect movements or by storing toxic or badtasting compounds. They can also reduce the rate of transpiration by blocking air flow across the leaf
surface .

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and eukaryotic algae that conduct
photosynthesis. Chloroplasts absorb sunlight and use it in conjunction with water and carbon
dioxide gas to produce food for the plant.
RAW MATERIALS
The raw materials of photosynthesis, water and carbon dioxide, enter the cells of the leaf, and
the products of photosynthesis,sugar and oxygen, leave the leaf. Water enters the root and is
transported up to the leaves through specialized plant cells known as xylem vessels.
END PRODUCT

Plants prepare their own food and so they are called as Autotrophs. They synthesize food from
sunlight through a process called Photosynthesis, in the presence of sunlight and Chlorophyll,
resulting in the formation of water, oxygen and glucose as end products.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF A LEAF

The outermost layer of the leaf is the epidermis. It consists of the upper and lower epidermis, which are
present on either side of the leaf. Botanists call the upper side the adaxial surface (or adaxis) and the
lower side the abaxial surface (or abaxis). The epidermis aids in the regulation of gas exchange. It
contains stomata, which are openings through which the exchange of gases takes place. Two
guard cells surround each stoma, regulating its opening and closing. Guard cells are the only epidermal
cells to contain chloroplasts.
The epidermis is usually one cell layer thick. However, in plants that grow in very hot or very cold
conditions, the epidermis may be several layers thick to protect against excessive water loss from
transpiration. A waxy layer known as the cuticle covers the leaves of all plant species. The cuticle reduces
the rate of water loss from the leaf surface. Other leaves may have small hairs (trichomes) on the leaf
surface. Trichomes help to avert herbivory by restricting insect movements or by storing toxic or badtasting compounds. They can also reduce the rate of transpiration by blocking air flow across the leaf
surface .
Below the epidermis of dicot leaves are layers of cells known as the mesophyll, or "middle leaf." The
mesophyll of most leaves typically contains two arrangements of parenchyma cells: the palisade
parenchyma and spongy parenchyma . The palisade parenchyma (also called the palisade mesophyll) aids
in photosynthesis and has column-shaped, tightly-packed cells. It may be present in one, two, or three
layers. Below the palisade parenchyma are loosely-arranged cells of an irregular shape. These are the
cells of the spongy parenchyma (or spongy mesophyll). The air space found between the spongy
parenchyma cells allows gaseous exchange between the leaf and the outside atmosphere through the
stomata. In aquatic plants, the intercellular spaces in the spongy parenchyma help the leaf float. Both
layers of the mesophyll contain many chloroplasts.
Similar to the stem, the leaf contains vascular bundles composed of xylem and phloem . The xylem
consists of tracheids and vessels, which transport water and minerals to the leaves. The phloem transports
the photosynthetic products from the leaf to the other parts of the plant. A single vascular bundle, no
matter how large or small, always contains both xylem and phloem tissues.

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and eukaryotic algae that conduct
photosynthesis. Chloroplasts absorb sunlight and use it in conjunction with water and carbon
dioxide gas to produce food for the plant.
RAW MATERIALS
The raw materials of photosynthesis, water and carbon dioxide, enter the cells of the leaf, and
the products of photosynthesis,sugar and oxygen, leave the leaf. Water enters the root and is
transported up to the leaves through specialized plant cells known as xylem vessels.
END PRODUCT
Plants prepare their own food and so they are called as Autotrophs. They synthesize food from
sunlight through a process called Photosynthesis, in the presence of sunlight and Chlorophyll,
resulting in the formation of water, oxygen and glucose as end products.