Plant cell walls

1. The Plant Cell wall
1
The cell wall provides
mechanical support and
protection
for the plant cell

2. A Generalised Eukaryotic Plant Cell
Plant cells, like animal cells, possess
a plasma membrane within which
is contained a complex fluid called
the cytoplasm or cytosol Cytosol
Plasma Membrane
Unlike animal cells,
the outermost
boundary of the plant
cell is the cell wall
The cell wall is composed
principally of the
polysaccharide called
cellulose
Cellulose Cell Wall
The cell walls of
adjacent plant cells
are shown here
Adjacent plant cells in a
tissue are held together
by a thin layer called the
middle lamella
The middle lamella is composed of “glue-like”
pectic substances

3. Adjacent cells are interconnected by
fine strands of cytoplasm known as
plasmodesmata
These strands of cytoplasm pass
through pores in the cell walls and
the middle lamellae, thus forming
tiny but continuous cytoplasmic
bridges between one cell and the
next
In many cases, where plant cells are held together in a tissue,
there is communication between the cells:
Plant Cell communication
CELL B
simple pit
CELL A