Read the following description of a plant tissue: "It consists of dead cells that are spherical, oval or cylindrical in shape, possessing highly thickened walls and very narrow cavities. They are commonly found in the fruit walls of nuts and the pulp of fruits like pear and sapota." Identify the specific tissue described above.

Step-by-step solution

The description given exactly matches sclereids, which are a type of sclerenchyma tissue. According to NCERT, sclereids are spherical, oval or cylindrical, highly thickened dead cells with very narrow cavities (lumen). They are commonly found in the fruit walls of nuts; pulp of fruits like guava, pear and sapota; seed coats of legumes and leaves of tea. Sclerenchyma fibres are thick-walled, elongated and pointed cells. Vessels are cylindrical tube-like structures made of many cells (vessel members) with lignified w