Aloe vera

ANATOMY OF THE LEAF

The epidermis of the leaves has a trick cuticle, and beneath is a zone of chlorenchyma. The central bulk of the leaf contains the colourless mucilaginous pulp, made up of large thin-walled mesophyll cells containing the A.vera gel itself. Along the junction between the pulp and the chlorenchyma are arranged the numerous vascular bundles, with accompanying inner bundle sheath cells, the bundle sheath cells at the phloem poles are thin-walled and axially elongated, and contain the bitter yellow sap which exudes from the leaves when they are cut.