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Spongy tissue is a type of tissue found both in plants and animals.
In plants, spongy tissue known as the spongy parenchyma [1] or spongy mesophyll [2] is part of the interior of the leaf, where it forms a layer below the palisade cells. In addition to scattering and absorbing light, spongy mesophyll facilitates the diffusion of carbon dioxide gas that is needed for photosynthesis. These cells typically photosynthesize less than those in the palisade mesophyll. The spongy mesophyll cells are usually considered to be irregularly shaped and disorganized, though a 3D analysis of diverse vascular plants in 2022 found that spongy mesophyll in many species has a honeycomb structure. [2]
Spongy tissue is also the name of a disorder of fruit ripening which can reduce the value of a fruit yield, especially in mango. [3] In the alphonso mango variety, this problem is particularly common, giving soft, white, 'corky' tissue.
Spongy tissue is also a type of animal tissue which contains smooth muscles, fibrous tissues, spaces, veins, and arteries. An example is the corpus spongiosum penis. In bone, the spongy tissue is called cancellous tissue.