coenenchyma

views updated

coenenchyma A substance, secreted by the coenosarc, that links the colonial polyps of Octocorallia. It consists of a thick mass of mesogloea perforated by tubes that are continuous with the gastrovascular cavity of the colony. It is sometimes fleshy but often calcified. Cells of the coenenchyma secrete the skeletal material of Octocorallia, therefore the skeleton is internal.