mesophyll
Tissue between the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf blade (lamina), consisting of parenchyma-like cells containing numerous chloroplasts.
In many plants, mesophyll is divided into two distinct layers.
The palisade mesophyll is usually just below the upper epidermis and is composed of regular layers of elongated cells. Lying below them is the spongy mesophyll, composed of loosely arranged cells of irregular shape. This layer contains fewer chloroplasts and has many intercellular spaces for the diffusion of gases (required for respiration and photosynthesis), linked to the outside by means of stomata.
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