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Single membrane bounded organelles characterized by a physical association with endoplasmic reticulum have been observed in a wide range of cell types and plant species including Gymnosperm, Angiosperm, Pteridophyte, and Thallophyte (algae and fungi) tissues. The morphological similarity between these organelles and animal microbodies suggests that they are cytological homologues. Plant microbodies were observed both with and without dense internal inclusions but unlike animal microbodies could not be shown to contain uricase. Plant microbody membranes are resistant to degenerative influences and remain associated with a small portion of endoplasmic reticulum even in isolated cell fractions.