Columella (botany)

Zygote fungus sporangium, with columella labelled

Columella (in plants) is an axis of sterile tissue which passes through the center of the spore-case of mosses.[1] In fungi, it refers to a centrally vacuolated part of a hypha, bearing spores. The word finds analogous usage in myxomycetes.[citation needed]

The term columella is also used to refer to story 1 to story 4 (S1 – S4) cells in the root cap, located apically of the quiescent centre.[citation needed] In vascular plants, columella tissue helps the roots to perceive gravity. Within columella cells, the amyloplasts and Golgi apparatus organelles tend to fall to the bottom third of the cell.[2]

  1. ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). "Columella" . The New Student's Reference Work . Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co.
  2. ^ Stoker, R.; Moore, R. (1984). "Structure of columella cells in primary and lateral roots of Helianthus annuus (Compositae)". New Phytologist. 97 (2): 205–212. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1984.tb04123.x. Retrieved 24 June 2024.