leaf structure and plant tissues

• epidermis

  • cover the surfaces of the leaf; lets light penetrate
• xylem

  • carries water and minerals from the roots around the plants
• phloem

  • carries dissolved sugars made through photosynthesis around the plant
• palisade mesophyll

  • where most photosynthesis takes place
  • cells contain many cholorplasts
  • absorbs light
• spongy mesophyll

  • some photosynthesis
  • has air spaces for diffusion of CO2 and O2
• guard cells

  • cells that open and close stomata
• stoma

  • opening that allows CO2 and O2 to diffuse in and out of the leaf