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

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

Other characteristic features of the SIET4 mutants were diminished roots and shoots, abnormal Si deposition in leaf mesophyll cells, and the induction of many stress response genes.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

The upper part of the mesophyll is comprised of columnar cells called palisade parenchyma.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Yellow patches are formed on the large leaves of Arisarum by a species of parasitic Alga, Phyllosiphon, which lives in the mesophyll.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall