Collenchyma cells are living, elongated, and irregularly thickened at the corners. Their arrangement with thickened cell walls provides strength and support while allowing flexibility, making them suitable for structures requiring bending in plants.

Collenchyma tissue provides flexibility and mechanical support to various parts of a plant, such as tendrils and stems of climbers, by allowing bending without breaking. It is typically found in leaf stalks below the epidermis.

The loosely arranged cells and large intercellular spaces in parenchyma tissue allow for efficient storage of food and gases, as well as facilitating processes like photosynthesis and buoyancy in aquatic plants.

Parenchyma tissue can be involved in photosynthesis when it contains chlorophyll, as seen in chlorenchyma. Additionally, in aquatic plants, parenchyma tissue may form aerenchyma to facilitate buoyancy.

In aquatic plants, parenchyma tissue forms large air cavities to aid in flotation. This specialized type of parenchyma is called aerenchyma.