From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

 

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    The Cell Walls Around You: Wood

The first, and most obvious, place to look for cellulose is wood. Remember that wood is secondary xylem. Most of these thick-walled cells are dead-the living protoplast having died after laying down the secondary walls. (Only the cells closest to the meristem are still alive.) Wood, then, is made up of cells fortified with thick, secondary cell walls, giving it its strength and rigidity. And the primary component of these cell walls is cellulose.

There is no need to go into how important wood has been, and continues to be, to humankind. From toothpicks to lumber to paper to fuel, wood provides us with innumerable products. You can ask your students to brainstorm all of the ways that wood plays a part in their lives. Now let's look at some other, less obvious, places to find cellulose.





 

 

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