Cortex (botany)
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2008-04-25T23:38:52Z
VoABot II
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BOT - Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/68.41.17.3|68.41.17.3]] {[[User:VoABot_II/Help#Revert_reasons|possible vandalism]]} to last version by [[Special:Contributions/WriterHound|WriterHound]].
[[Image:Stem-histology-cross-section-tag.svg|thumb|right|250px|Cross-section of a [[flax]] plant stem:<br>
1. [[:en:pith|Pith]],<br>
2. [[:en:protoxylem|Protoxylem]],<br>
3. [[:en:xylem|Xylem]] I,<br>
4. [[:en:phloem|Phloem]] I,<br>
5. [[:en:Sclerenchyma|Sclerenchyma]] ([[:en:bast fibre|bast fibre]]),<br>
6. [[:en:cortex|Cortex]],<br>
7. [[:en:epidermis (botany)|Epidermis]]]]
In [[botany]], the '''cortex''' is the outer portion of the [[plant stem|stem]] or [[root]] of a plant, bounded on the outside by the [[Epidermis (botany)|epidermis]] and on the inside by the [[endodermis]]. It is composed mostly of [[undifferentiated cell]]s, usually large thin-walled [[parenchyma]] cells of the [[ground tissue]] system. The outer cortical cells often acquire irregularly thickened cell walls, and are called collenchyma cells. Some of the outer cortical cells may contain [[chloroplast]]s. It is responsible for the transportation of materials into the central cylinder of the root through diffusion and may also be used for food storage in the form of starch.
==See also==
*[[Bast (biology)]]
{{botany-stub}}
[[Category:Plant anatomy]]
[[Category:Plant physiology]]
[[pt:Córtex (botânica)]]