Waxy cuticle - Protective layer on top of the leaf, prevents water from evaporating, Upper epidermis - Thin and transparent to allow light to enter palisade mesophyll layer underneath it, Palisade mesophyll - Column shaped cells tightly packed with chloroplasts to absorb more light, maximising photosynthesis, Spongy mesophyll - Contains internal air spaces that increases the surface area to volume ratio for the diffusion of gases (mainly carbon dioxide), Lower epidermis - Contains guard cells and stomata, Guard cells - Absorbs and loses water to open and close the stomata to allow carbon dioxide to diffuse in, oxygen to diffuse out, Stomata - Where gas exchange takes place. Opens during the day, closes during the night, evaporation of water also takes places from here, Vascular bundle - Contains xylem and phloem to transport substances to and from the leaf, Xylem - Transports water into the leaf for mesophyll cells to use in photosynthesis and for transpiration from stomata, Phloem - Transports sucrose and amino acids around the plant,

Leaf tissue and functions

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