Tongue taste buds,light micrograph. The tongue is covered in numerous tiny projections,called papillae,which vary in shape,size and colour. The taste buds,sensory receptors concerned with the sense of taste,are located in the epithelium that covers the surface of the tongue,lying in the grooves around the papillae. The papillae are seen in longitudinal section here,with this image being a close-up of several taste buds (rounded). For a larger view of the papillae,see images C010/6055 and C010/6056 |