Renal pyramids - Wikipedia Renal pyramids It has been suggested that this article be merged into Renal medulla. ( Discuss ) Proposed since August 2018. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2016 ) Renal pyramids Kidney anatomy, with pyramids labeled at right 1. Renal pyramid 2. Interlobular artery 3. Renal artery 4. Renal vein 5. Renal hilum 6. Renal pelvis 7. Ureter 8. Minor calyx 9. Renal capsule 10. Inferior renal capsule 11. Superior renal capsule 12. Interlobar vein 13. Nephron 14. Renal sinus 15. Major calyx 16. Renal papilla 17. Renal column Details System Urinary system Identifiers Latin Pyramides renales TA A08. 1.01. 029 FMA 258870 74268, 258870 Anatomical terminology ( edit on Wikidata ) Renal pyramids ( or malpighian pyramids or Malpighi 's pyramids named after Marcello Malpighi, a seventeenth - century anatomist ) are cone - shaped tissues of the kidney. In humans, the renal medulla is made up of 10 to 18 of these conical subdivisions. The broad base of each pyramid faces the renal cortex, and its apex, or papilla, points internally towards the pelvis. The pyramids appear striped because they are formed by straight parallel segments of nephrons and collecting ducts. The base of each pyramid originates at the corticomedullary border and the apex terminates in a papilla, which lies within a minor calyx, made of parallel bundles of urine collecting tubules. Contents 1 Additional images 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Additional images Frontal section through the kidney See also Renal sinus Medullary interstitium Renal capsule References Jump up ^ Young, Barbara ; O'Dowd, Geraldine ; Woodford, Phillip ( 2014 ). Wheater 's Functional Histology ( 6 ed. ). Philadelphia, PA : Elsevier. p. 293. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7020 - 4747 - 3. External links Anatomy figure : 40 : 03 - 02 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center Anatomy of the urinary system Kidneys Layers Fascia Capsule Cortex column Medulla sinus pyramids medullary interstitium Lobe Cortical lobule Medullary ray Nephron Circulation Arteries Renal artery segmental interlobar arcuate interlobular afferent Veins Renal vein Peritubular capillaries Vasa recta arcuate interlobar efferent Nephron Renal corpuscle Glomerulus Bowman 's capsule Glomerular basement membrane Podocyte Filtration slits Mesangium Intraglomerular mesangial cell Renal tubule Proximal convoluted tubule Loop of Henle Descending Thin ascending Thick ascending Distal convoluted tubule Collecting duct system Connecting tubule Papillary duct Tubular fluid Renal papilla Minor calyx Major calyx Renal pelvis Juxtaglomerular apparatus Macula densa Juxtaglomerular cells Mesangium Extraglomerular mesangial cell Ureters Ureteropelvic junction Bladder Apex Uvula Neck Median umbilical ligament Muscular layer Trigone Detrusor Mucosa Submucosa Urethra Urethral sphincters External sphincter male female Internal sphincter Portal This article related to the genitourinary system is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Renal_pyramids&oldid=858302140 '' Categories : Kidney anatomy Genitourinary system stubs Hidden categories : Articles to be merged from August 2018 All articles to be merged Articles needing additional references from March 2016 All articles needing additional references All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Eesti Español فارسی Italiano Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 6 September 2018, at 06 : 49 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: why do renal pyramids have a striped appearance
Answer: because they are formed by straight parallel segments of nephrons and collecting ducts