Spongy tissue is a type of tissue found both in plants and animals. In plants, it is part of the mesophyll, where it forms a layer next to the

palisade cell Palisade cells are plant cells located on the leaves, right below the epidermis and cuticle that is the outermost layer of the leaf. In simpler terms, they are known as leaf cells. Palisade means "stake" in latin, they are vertically elongated an ...

s in the

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

. The spongy mesophyll's function is to allow for the interchange of gases () that are needed for

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

. The spongy mesophyll cells are less likely to go through photosynthesis than those in the palisade mesophyll. It is also the name of a disorder of fruit ripening which can reduce the value of a fruit yield, especially in mango. In the alphonso mango variety, this problem is particularly common, giving soft, white, 'corky' tissue. Spongy tissue is also a type of animal tissue which contains smooth muscles,

fibrous tissues Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops from the mesenchyme derived from the mesoderm the middle embryonic germ layer. Connective tissue is ...

, spaces, veins, and arteries. An example is the

corpus spongiosum penis The corpus spongiosum is the mass of spongy tissue surrounding the male urethra within the penis. It is also called the corpus cavernosum urethrae in older texts. Anatomy The proximal part of the corpus spongiosum is expanded to form the ure ...

. In bone, the spongy tissue is called cancellous tissue.

References

{{Reflist Plant anatomy Animal anatomy