Collenchyma tissue is composed of cells that are slightly more specialized than those of parenchyma tissue. Collenchyma cells tend to be elongate and have unevenly thickened walls and function in providing support for the plant body. Like parenchyma cells, the cells of collenchyma are alive at maturity.

Bundles of collenchyma cells can be found near the surface of celery stalks. Below is a photograph of a portion of one of these bundles:
 

Collenchyma cells from celery, photographed under the 40x objective. Notice the unevenly thickened walls of these cells.

This page last updated: 13 Sep 1999