Parenchymal

Parenchymal refers to the functional parts of an organ in the body. This term is used in the field of Anatomy and Histology to describe the functional tissues in plants and animals. In contrast to the parenchyma, stromal tissues are the supporting or connective tissues.

Definition

The term "parenchyma" is derived from the Greek word "paraenchein" meaning "to pour in" from "para-" ("beside") + "enchein" ("to pour"). In animals, parenchyma comprises the functional parts of an organ and in plants, it is the ground tissue of nonwoody structures.

In Animals

In animals, the term parenchyma refers to the actual functioning part of an organ as opposed to the stroma, which refers to the structural tissue of organs, namely, the connective tissues.

In Plants

In plants, "parenchyma" is one of the three types of ground tissue. Ground tissue is anything that is not vascular tissue or part of the dermis of the plant. It is the most common type of plant tissue found in the stem and leaves.

See Also

• Stroma (tissue)
• Anatomy
• Histology
• Plant stem
• Leaf

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