Cytorrhysis

Schematic of typical plant cell

Cytorrhysis is the complete collapse of a plant cell's cell wall within plants due to the loss of water through osmosis. This always follows plasmolysis. Cytorrhysis will cause a much greater loss of shape and structure. Usually this is very bad for the cell, resulting in extreme damage and possible death of the cell. Although the cell wall is not actually destroyed, the vacuole seems to increase in size and finally collapses, releasing its components into the cytosol.The plasma membrane seems to be appressed to the cell wall. Cytorrhysis occurs when the size of the molecules constituting the osmoticum exceeds that of the pores of the cell wall matrix .