Filiform- and fungiform papillae of the tongue (100X)

The papillae of the tongue are divided in to categories based on their morphology:

• filiform- and fungiform papillae,
• papillae vallatae (lat.)
• papillae foliatae (lat.).

In this image, you can only see the fungiform- and filiform papillae (lat: papilla filiformis).

The filiform papillae are offshoots off the lamina propria. The number of fungiform papilla increases the closer you get to the tip of the tongue. As the name states, it looks like a mushroom (fungus). In some locations on the papilla, there are taste buds. These look like oval spots in the surface of the epithelium (at low magnification) that stain less than surrounding tissue. They also have an opening to the dorsal surface of the tongue.