Gland

For other uses, see Gland (disambiguation).

The leaves of this plant have glands that produce a fragrant oily substance.

A gland is a group of cells in the body which make substances such as hormones. They are in humans and other animals, and in plants.

• If the substance is put directly into the bloodstream, the gland is called endocrine gland.
• If the substance is carried by a duct, the gland is called an exocrine gland. Exocrine ducts empty outside the body, or into cavities inside the body.

Examples of glands in humans are:

• Sweat glands that produce sweat for perspiration.
• The pineal gland in the brain, which produces the hormone melatonin at night.

Gland Media

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  This image shows some of the various possible glandular arrangements. These are the simple tubular, simple branched tubular, simple coiled tubular, simple acinar, and simple branched acinar glands.

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  This image shows some of the various possible glandular arrangements. These are the compound tubular, compound acinar, and compound tubulo-acinar glands.

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  Here is a diagram that shows the differences between endocrine and exocrine glands. The major difference is that exocrine glands secrete substances out of the body and endocrine glands secrete substances into capillaries and blood vessels.