companion cell
noun Botany.
any of a number of specialized parenchymal cells adjacent to a sieve tube in the phloem of flowering plants, believed to regulate the flow of nutrients through the tube.
Origin of companion cell
First recorded in 1885–90
Words nearby companion cell
Scientific definitions for companion cell
companion cell
[ kəm-păn′yən ]
A specialized parenchyma cell, located in the phloem of flowering plants and closely associated with the development and function of a sieve-tube element. Companion cells probably provide ATP, proteins, and other substances to the sieve-tube elements, whose cytoplasm lacks many structures necessary for cell maintenance.