Plant Cell Types

Cells of a matured and higher plant become specialized to perform certain vital functions that are essential for their survival. Few plant cells are involved in the transportation of nutrients and water, while others for storing food.

The specialized plant cells include parenchyma cells, sclerenchyma cells, collenchyma cells, xylem cells and phloem cells.

Following are some of the different types of plant cells:

Collenchyma Cells

They are hard or rigid cells, which play a primary role in providing support to the plants when there is restraining growth in a plant due to lack of hardening agent in primary walls.

Sclerenchyma Cells

These cells are more rigid compared to collenchyma cells and this is because of the presence of a hardening agent.  These cells are usually found in all plant roots and mainly involved in providing support to the plants.

Parenchyma Cells

Parenchyma cells play a significant role in all plants. They are the living cells of plants, which are involved in the production of leaves. They are also involved in the exchange of gases, production of food, storage of organic products and cell metabolism. These cells are typically more flexible than others because they are thinner.

Xylem Cells

Xylem cells are the transport cells in vascular plants. They help in the transport of water and minerals from the roots to the leaves and other parts of the plants.

Phloem Cells

Phloem cells are other transport cells in vascular plants. They transport food prepared by the leaves to different parts of the plants.