types of cells seen in simple columnar
This is a cross section through the small intestine. The tall, vertical cells seen at the top of the tissue are columnar cells (one is shown - red arrow), which make up simple columnar epithelium (the cells at the bottom of the image are connective tissue, which will be discussed later). Since columnar cells are quite thick, they do not readily allow passive diffusion.
Developmental Biology Online. Epithelial tissues come in three basic types: squamous, cuboidal and columnar. These three types of tissue are seen in either simple (only one cell layer thick) or stratified (many cells in thickness) arrangements.