Can the plant's cell wall burst if it is too full of water molecules? If so, why, how, and what would the plant and an individual cell look like? Also, is that why cut flowers wilt and die?

I know that the cell wall protects the plant cell from turgor pressure, which keeps it from bursting, and the cell wall also keeps more of the water molecules from entering the cell, but what if the cell wall wasn't working properly and the cell burst?

1 Answer
Nov 3, 2017

Normally not. Cut flowers dry out

Explanation:

Under normal circumstances the cell wall will prevent too much water from entering. When the wall is weakened through the use of enzymes or freezing. The cut flowers get weak because the cells dry out and lose their turgorr which was keeping it upright. This lack of water also kills the plant

The plant cell that burst (in the absence of / with severe degradation of the wall) would look roughly similar to an animal cell, albeit with possible chloroplasts in them