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

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

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

However, because the mesophyll cells constantly pump CO2 into neighboring bundle-sheath cells in the form of malate, there’s always a high concentration of CO2 relative to O2 right around rubisco.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The mesophyll cells, however, are short and the intercellular spaces much more evident than in the cross-section.

From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton