Vallate papillae – Papillae vallatae. The papilla is shaped like a truncated cone, the smaller end being directed downward and attached to the tongue, the broader part or base projecting a little above the surface of the tongue and being studded with numerous small secondary papillæ and covered by stratified squamous epithelium.
The circumvallate papillae (or vallate papillae) are dome-shaped structures on the human tongue that vary in number from 8 to 12. They are situated on the surface of the tongue immediately in front of the foramen cecum and sulcus terminalis, forming a row on either side; the two rows run backward and medially, and meet in the midline.
The number of vallate papillae per human tongue varies between 4 and 18 (n = 2264 tongues), with an average of 9.2 ± 1.8 papillae ( Münch, 1896 ). Ninety-eight percent of all tongues have a central median papilla ( Fig. 2 C).
Vallate Papillae Image
