What Does latex Mean
Latex is a term whose etymological root is found in the Latin language. This is the name given to the viscous liquid contained in the laticiferous vessels of various plants , with which many products can be made.
This substance, made up of resins , waxes , fats and other elements, circulates through these vessels of vegetables. It is generally whitish, although yellowish latex, red and other shades can be found.
The laticíferas cells are responsible for production of the latex. Typically, the latex used by humans commercially and industrially comes from the Hevea brasiliensis species .
It is known as lacitiferous , vessels, ducts or lacitiferous tubes to the plant structures that are responsible for secreting and containing latex under positive pressure. They are found in about twenty plant families and may be linked to phloem (a tissue that carries organic and inorganic nutrients) or they may be dispersed throughout the various tissues that make up the plant.
The lacitiferous cells are formed by several aligned lacitiferous cells, whose transverse walls are very thin and break when they mature, unlike what happens with the longitudinal cells, whose thickness is much greater.
When a lacitiferous cell reaches maturity, it may not have a nucleus and its number of cellular organelles may be very small. Lacitifers can be classified into:
* Non-articulated : they are also known as apocytic and are made up of a single elongated cell that goes from the root of the plant to its leaves without anastomosis , that is, the union of the various elements of the structure;
* articulated : another name they receive is simplistic and their main feature is that they are made up of chains of laticiferous cells linked together by plasmodesmata or perforations in their walls in common. In this case, anstomosis may or may not take place depending on whether or not the cells fuse, producing a network that runs through the entire plant.
It is important to mention that the latex of some plants has a high level of toxicity . There are aborigines who use this poisonous latex to make their arrows more deadly.
For the plant, latex can fulfill various functions. When it is toxic, it serves as a defense mechanism , for example. On the other hand, latex contributes to healing since, when it comes into contact with air, it coagulates and “closes” the opening from which it flowed.
Latex is processed by man to produce multiple elements. In the medical and nursing fields, latex is used to make gloves, masks, enemas and tubes, to name a few possibilities.
Latex also produces insoles for footwear, glues, balloons, pillows, mattresses, condoms, tires and tennis balls .
It should be noted that, according to the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), rubber is a specific type of latex, generated by some intertropical plants. Nor should latex be confused with gum resin , another kind of juice produced by certain vegetables.
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