In botany, a cortex is an outer layer of a stem or root in a

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignin, lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified Ti ...

, lying below the

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...

but outside of the vascular bundles. The cortex is composed mostly of large thin-walled parenchyma cells of the ground tissue system and shows little to no structural differentiation. The outer cortical cells often acquire irregularly thickened cell walls, and are called collenchyma cells.

Plants

Stems and branches

In the three dimensional structure of herbaceous stems, the

, cortex and vascular cambium form concentric cylinders around the inner cylindrical core of pith. Some of the outer cortical cells may contain

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

s, giving them a green color. They can therefore produce simple carbohydrates through photosynthesis. In woody plants, the cortex is located between the periderm (bark) and the vascular tissue ( phloem, in particular). It is responsible for the transportation of materials into the central cylinder of the root through diffusion and may also be used for storage of food in the form of starch.

Roots

In the roots of vascular plants, the cortex occupies a larger portion of the organ's volume than in herbaceous stems. The loosely packed cells of root cortex allow movement of water and oxygen in the intercellular spaces. One of the main functions of the root cortex is to serve as a storage area for reserve foods. The innermost layer of the cortex in the roots of vascular plants is the endodermis. The endodermis is responsible for storing starch as well as regulating the transport of water, ions and plant hormones.

Lichen

On a

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

, the cortex is also the surface layer or "skin" of the nonfruiting part of the body of some

s.What is a lichen?, Australian National Botanical Garden
/ref> It is the "

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

", or outer layer of tissue, that covers the undifferentiated cells of the . Fruticose lichens have one cortex encircling the branches, even flattened, leaf-like forms. Foliose lichens have different upper and lower cortices. Crustose, placodioid, and squamulose lichens have an upper cortex but no lower cortex, and leprose lichens lack any cortex.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortex (Botany) Plant anatomy Plant physiology

Plants

Stems and branches

Roots

Lichen

See also

References