mesophyll

American  

[mez-uh-fil, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˈmɛz ə fɪl, ˈmɛs-, ˈmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

Botany.

1. the parenchyma, usually containing chlorophyll, that forms the interior parts of a leaf.

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mesophyll British  

/ ˈmɛsəʊˌfɪl /

noun

1. the soft chlorophyll-containing tissue of a leaf between the upper and lower layers of epidermis: involved in photosynthesis

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mesophyll Scientific  

/ mĕz′ə-fĭl′ /

1. The tissues of a leaf that are located in between the layers of epidermis and carry on photosynthesis, consisting of the palisade layer and the spongy parenchyma. Most mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts.

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Other Word Forms

• mesophyllic
  adjective
• mesophyllous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesophyll

First recorded in 1830–40; meso- + -phyll

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mesophyll

C4 plants recruit bundle sheath cells, which normally serve as leaf vein support, to photosynthesize alongside mesophyll cells.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

Around 95% of plants use C3 photosynthesis, in which mesophyll cells -- green spongy cells that live inside leaves -- turn light, water, and carbon dioxide into plant-powering sugars.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

The sensors can enter leaves through pores called stomata and take up residence in the mesophyll -- the layer where most photosynthesis takes place.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2024

The oxaloacetate is converted to malate, which travels out of the mesophyll cell and into a neighboring bundle-sheath cell.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Leaf perforations are commonly caused by severe hail-storms, the hail-stones beating right through the thin mesophyll.

From Disease in Plants by H. Marshall Ward