plants and leaves

    Cards (10)

    • guard cells open and close to reduce water loss
    • Surface layer of the leaf
      • Waxy cuticle
      • Stops water from evaporating from the cells
      • Transparent to allow light through
    • Palisade layer

      • Below the cuticle
      • Closely packed cells
      • Contains lots of chloroplasts
      • Where most photosynthesis occurs
    • Spongy mesophyll
      • Below the palisade layer
      • Spaced out cells
      • Lots of airspaces between them
      • Allows gases like carbon dioxide to move to the leaf surface
    • Veins
      • Contain xylem and phloem
      • Transport water and glucose to cells in the leaf
    • Lower epidermis
      • Just below the spongy mesophyll
      • Contains guard cells
    • Guard cells
      Can open and close the stomata during the day and night
    • the top of the leaf is made up of waxy cuticle, upper edpidermis and palisade cells
    • the middle layer is made up of spongy mesophyll and the veins which contain the xylem and phloem. there are gaps in the middle so the air can pass through
    • the bottom is made up of the lower epidermis, and guard cells which open and close the stomata