The mushroom-shaped fungiform papilla is nicely illustrated
here. These papillae normally carry taste buds.
Fungiform papillae are far less numerous than the filiform type, and scattered in among them. They're not nearly as large as the vallate papillae, but they are large enough to have a core of CT. The fungiform papillae stick up above the surrounding filiforms, and here you can see the relationship pretty well. A swallow-tailed filiform papilla flanks this fungiform one on either side.
Fungiform papilla, Monkey tongue; H&E stain, 1.5 µm plastic section, 100x
Here's a group of foliate papillae. The word "foliate"
means "leaflike" and in this case the reference is to the "leaves" of
a book. The orientation of this specimen is different from the ones
seen before. You are viewing these papillae from the
top; that is, the tongue has been cut parallel to its long
axis, and exposed to view from the dorsal side. Thus, you're
seeing the edges of the foliate papillae as if you'd seen the top
edge of a book.
The papillae themselves are flat-topped and have deep clefts
between them. The clefts are lined with epithelium, and there
are taste buds embedded in them. This type of papilla is most
commonly seen in members of the Order Lagomorpha, i.e,
rabbits, hares, pikas, and conies. Similar papillae are found in the tongue of the Florida manatee.
