spongy parenchyma

noun Botany.

the lower layer of the ground tissue of a leaf, characteristically containing irregularly shaped cells with relatively few chloroplasts and large intercellular spaces.

Origin of spongy parenchyma

First recorded in 1880–85

Also called spongy mesophyll.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

spongy-mesophyll in Science

[spŭn′jē]

A layer of cells in the interior of leaves, consisting of loosely arranged, irregularly shaped cells that have chloroplasts. The spongy parenchyma has many spaces between cells to facilitate the circulation of air and the exchange of gases. It lies just below the palisade layer. Also called spongy mesophyll See more at photosynthesis.