The epidermis is a single layer of cells that covers the leaves, flowers, roots, and stems of plants. It is closely packed without intercellular spaces or chloroplasts. The epidermis protects the underlying plant tissues and prevents water loss through a waxy cuticle. It contains openings called stomata bounded by guard cells that allow for gas exchange in leaves and stems. Root hairs that absorb water and ions also develop from epidermal cells in roots. The epidermis serves protective, transport, and gas exchange functions essential for plant survival.

1. Epidermis
STRUCTURE OF
CELLS AND
ORGANELLES

2. We will take a look into these :-
Distribution
Structure of epidermis
Functions

3. What is epidermis ?
Epidermis or epidermal tissue is a single-
layered group of cells that covers plants
leaves, flowers, roots and stems.

4. Distribution
One cell thick
covering the
entire plant .
Do not have
chloroplast but
transparent .

5. Structure
Epidermis is usually closely packed, without intercellular spaces or chloroplasts.
The outer walls, which are exposed to the atmosphere and usually thickened, and may be covered
by a waxy, waterproof cuticle which are made up of cutin.
Apart from the normal epidermal cells there are also stomata in the epidermis of leaves and stem.
A stoma is an opening (pore) which is bounded by two bean-nshaped cells called guard cells .
The guard cells differ from normal epidermal cells in that they have chloroplasts and the cell walls
are thickening unevenly; the outer wall is thin and the inner wall (nearest the opening) is thick.
The thin-walled epidermal cells of roots give rise to root hairs. [Hair- like outgrowths may also be
found in the epidermis of leaves and stems.] The root hair also known as trichomes.

6. Example of epidermis tissue in plant cell

7. Functions
the epidermal cells protect the underlying cells,
the waxy cuticle prevents the loss of moisture from the leaves and stems,
the transparent epidermal cells allow sunlight (for photosynthesis) to pass through
to the chloroplasts in the mesophyll tissue,
the stomata of leaves and stems allow gaseous exchange to take place which is
necessary for photosynthesis and respiration,
water vapour may be given off through the stomata during transpiration,
the root-hairs absorb water and dissolved ions from the soil.

13. Trichomes in epidermis cell