mesophyll

American  

[mez-uh-fil, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˈmɛz ə fɪl, ˈmɛs-, ˈmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

Botany.

1. the parenchyma, usually containing chlorophyll, that forms the interior parts of a leaf.

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mesophyll British  

/ ˈmɛsəʊˌfɪl /

noun

1. the soft chlorophyll-containing tissue of a leaf between the upper and lower layers of epidermis: involved in photosynthesis

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mesophyll Scientific  

/ mĕz′ə-fĭl′ /

1. The tissues of a leaf that are located in between the layers of epidermis and carry on photosynthesis, consisting of the palisade layer and the spongy parenchyma. Most mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts.

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Other Word Forms

• mesophyllic adjective
• mesophyllous adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesophyll

First recorded in 1830–40; meso- + -phyll

Example Sentences

Around 95% of plants use C3 photosynthesis, in which mesophyll cells -- green spongy cells that live inside leaves -- turn light, water, and carbon dioxide into plant-powering sugars.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

The sensors can enter leaves through pores called stomata and take up residence in the mesophyll -- the layer where most photosynthesis takes place.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024

Additionally, the C4 photosynthesis pathway starts in mesophyll cells that comprise the surface of the leaf, and then moves into bundle sheath cells that are deeper in the plant.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2023

The upper part of the mesophyll is comprised of columnar cells called palisade parenchyma.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Leaf perforations are commonly caused by severe hail-storms, the hail-stones beating right through the thin mesophyll.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall