Ground tissue#Collenchyma

The collenchyma is one of the strengthening tissues of plants. The word derives from the Greek kolla = glue and enchyma = the Grommet.

A distinction is the collenchyma and the sclerenchyma, the collenchyma is as yet growth and expansion enabled, not woody Supporting Tissues from living cells, the sclerenchyma contrast of dead cells. The living, prosenchymatous usually, but partly also isodiametric cells of the Kollenchyms often contain chloroplasts when they lie on the periphery of organs, the cell walls are reinforced with cellulose or Pektinauflagerungen. Visible only under the electron microscope are plasmodesmata penetrate plasmatic connections between the cytoplasm of neighboring cells, the middle lamella and cell wall. The recesses, which are located between the secondary walls of the cell wall are called wells.

Preferably, collenchyma located in parts of plants that are still growing, such as in petioles and stems. Are the older tissue, the collenchyma may die and turn into sclerenchyma cells.

There are four different types of collenchyma:

• " Simple" collenchyme (more or less uniform cell wall thickening )
• Ecken-/Kantenkollenchym ( strong cell wall thickening at the edges of abutting cells, less to no thickening on the surfaces )
• Plattenkollenchym (severe thickening of the tangential cell walls, little to no thickening on the radial walls )
• Lückenkollenchym ( strong cell wall thickening around the large intercellular spaces, little to no thickening at cell-cell borders )

Example of a Eckenkollenchym is the pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), for a Plattenkollenchym the potato (Solanum tuberosum), which already represents a transition to Lückenkollenchym and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum ), which has a Lückenkollenchym.