Differentiate between sclerenchyma and parenchyma tissues. Draw well labelled diagram.
| Parenchyma | Sclerenchyma |
| Parenchyma cells have thin primary cell walls and lack secondary cell walls | Sclerenchyma cells have both primary and secondary cell walls |
| Parenchyma cells easily allow molecules to enter into cells and expel substances easily from the cell. | Permeability of sclerenchyma cell is limited due to the presence of the secondary wall. |
| Parenchyma cells are well adapted for photosynthesis | Sclerenchyma cells have very low photosynthetic ability |
| Parenchyma tissue can store various products of the plant body, such as water, sugar, oil, etc. | Sclerenchyma tissue does not store anything. |
| Parenchyma cells can produce new cells by acting as a meristematic tissue. | Sclerenchyma cells do not produce new cells. Unlike parenchyma tissue, sclerenchyma tissue can provide elastic strength to plant body and synthesize lignin which hardens the plant body and prevents decay. |
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