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]

^ 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.
^ 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.

[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.

[sunflower-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.

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