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AnatomyHead and neckOral cavityVallate papillae
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AnatomyHead and neckOral cavityVallate papillae

Vallate papillae

Author: Christina Loukopoulou, MSc • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: April 16, 2024
Reading time: 1 minute

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Vallate papillae
Papillae vallatae
1/5
Synonyms: none

Vallate papillae are one of the four types of lingual papillae. These structures contain taste buds with gustatory receptors for taste.

Vallate papillae are the largest of all lingual papillae. There are very few of them, precisely 8 - 12 in humans. They lie in a V-shaped row immediately anterior to the terminal sulcus, which divides the dorsum of the tongue into its anterior two-thirds and a posterior third.

They are round in shape and their apex is coated with stratified squamous epithelium. About 50% of all taste buds are found in the vallate papillae, they are particularly sensitive to bitter taste and can be involved in the gag reflex.

The taste buds of the vallate papillae are innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve IX) (despite the fact that they lie anterior to the terminal sulcus).

Terminology English: Vallate papillae

Latin: Papillae vallatae
Definition Vallate papillae are one of the four types of lingual papillae containing taste buds with gustatory receptors for taste.

Learn more about the surface of the tongue in the following study unit:

Surface of the tongue Explore study unit

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.
  • Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F. and Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
  • Ross, M. H. Pawlina, W. (2011). Histology : a text and atlas : with correlated cell and molecular biology (6th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health.
  • Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

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