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Palisade Mesophyll Cell

A specialised plant cell in the upper leaf layer packed with chloroplasts, carrying out most of the leaf's photosynthesis.

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Palisade Mesophyll Cell

A palisade mesophyll cell is a specialised plant cell that carries out photosynthesis 1. Palisade cells form the layer just below the upper epidermis of a leaf, where light arrives first.

   upper epidermis   ────────────────
   palisade layer    ▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯   many chloroplasts
   spongy layer      ○  ○   ○   ○      air spaces for CO₂
   lower epidermis   ───────(stoma)──

Adaptations for Photosynthesis

FeatureAdvantage
Many chloroplastsMore chlorophyll to absorb light energy
Positioned near the upper leaf surfaceReceives the most light
Column-shaped and tightly packedFits many photosynthesising cells into the leaf
Thin cell wall and no large air gapShort diffusion path for carbon dioxide

The whole leaf is adapted in the same direction: a large surface area and a thin blade shorten the distance that carbon dioxide and oxygen must diffuse, and the interconnecting air spaces reach every photosynthesising cell 1. Water and mineral ions arrive from root hair cells through the xylem.

Fate of the Products

The glucose made in the chloroplasts is used in respiration, stored as starch, built into cellulose for cell walls, or transported as sucrose 1.

  • Cell - Specialised cells have specific functions.
  • Chloroplast - Organelle where the light reactions happen.
  • Nutrition - Photosynthesis as the plant’s feeding mode.
  • Root Hair Cell - Supplies the water used as a raw material.
  • Biology - Cambridge IGCSE life-science area.

Footnotes

  1. Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028 - Palisade mesophyll cells (2.1.6c), photosynthesis and the fate of its products (6.1), leaf structure and adaptations (6.2). ↩ ↩2 ↩3