filled with amyloplasts, which hold many
granules of the long sugar chains called
starch.
Cross-section through a typical plant cell.
The Cell Wall One last and very important
component of the plant cell is its cell wall,
something that animal cells lack entirely. The
plant cell wall surrounds the membrane and is
strong and rigid. Its purpose is to lend
structural support to the cell and the tissue of
which it is a part. Neighboring cells are held
together by the outer, glue-like layers of their
cell walls. Some specialized strengthening
cells become mostly cell wall and do their job
even after their death. The gritty grains in
pear flesh, the fibers in celery stalks, the stone
that surrounds a peach seed, and the seed