lingual papilla

…the epithelium that clothes certain lingual papillae (small projections on the tongue), is a cluster of tall cells, some of which have differentiated into taste cells whose free ends bear receptive gustatory hairs. Sensory nerve fibres end at the surface of such cells. Other tall cells are presumably inertly supportive…

…of the mucous membrane called papillae. They contain taste buds, which are sensitive to chemical constituents of food, and serous glands that secrete some of the fluid in saliva, a substance that moistens the oral cavity and helps lubricate food particles. The base, or upper rear portion, of the tongue…