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 coats of beans and peas are all mainly the cell-wall material of strengthening cells Broadly speaking, the texture of plant foods is determined by the fullness of the storage vacuole, the strength of the cell walls, and the absence or presence of starch granules Color is determined by the chloroplasts and chromoplasts, and sometimes by watersoluble pigments in vacuoles Flavor comes from the contents of the storage vacuoles Plant Tissues Tissues are groups of cells organized to perform a common function Plants have four basic tissues Ground tissue is the primary mass of cells Its purpose depends on its location in the plant In leaves the ground tissue performs photosynthesis; elsewhere it stores nutrients and water Cells in the ground tissue usually have thin cell walls, so the tissue is generally tender Most of our fruits and vegetables are mainly ground tissue ...coats of beans and peas are all mainly the cell-wall material of strengthening cells Broadly speaking, the texture of plant foods is determined by the fullness of the storage vacuole, the strength of the cell walls, and the. .. from the contents of the storage vacuoles Plant Tissues Tissues are groups of cells organized to perform a common function Plants have four basic tissues Ground tissue is the primary mass of cells... the storage vacuole, the strength of the cell walls, and the absence or presence of starch granules Color is determined by the chloroplasts and chromoplasts, and sometimes by watersoluble pigments