SCLERENCHYMA

any of various kinds of hard, woody cells that serve the function of support in plants. Mature sclerenchyma cells are dead cells that have heavily thickened walls containing lignin. Such cells occur in many different shapes and sizes, but two main types occur: fibres and sclereids. Fibres are greatly elongated cells whose long, tapering ends interlock, thus providing maximum support to a plant. They can be found almost anywhere in the plant body, including the stem, the roots, and the vascular bundles in leaves. Sclereids are extremely variable in shape and are present in various tissues of the plant such as the periderm, cortex, pith, xylem, and phloem. They also occur in leaves and fruits and constitute the hard shell of nuts and the outer hard coat of many seeds.