sclereid

thumb|Fresh mount of a sclereid in a banana fruit Sclereids are a reduced form of sclerenchyma cells with highly thickened, lignified cellular walls that form small bundles of durable layers of tissue in most plants. The presence of numerous sclereids form the cores of apples and produce the gritty texture of guavas.

Although sclereids are variable in shape, the cells are generally isodiametric, prosenchymatic, forked, or elaborately branched. They can be grouped into bundles, can form complete tubes located at the periphery, or can occur as single cells or small groups of cells within parenchyma tissues. An isolated sclereid cell is known as an idioblast. Sclereids are typically found in the epidermis, ground tissue, and vascular tissue.