nonglandular

Nonglandular is an adjective used in biology to describe tissue, epithelium, or an organ that lacks secretory glands or glandular tissue. It is used to distinguish nonsecretory tissue from glandular tissue that contains secretory glands or cells. In anatomy and histology, nonglandular epithelia are those that do not include secretory units; for example, the epidermis is a nonglandular epithelium, and certain stomach compartments in some ruminants—namely the rumen, reticulum, and omasum—are described as nonglandular because their mucosa lacks gastric glands, while the abomasum is glandular.

In botany, nonglandular also describes trichomes that do not bear secretory glands, as opposed to glandular trichomes which secrete essential oils, resins, or sugars. Nonglandular trichomes are typically involved in mechanical defense or moisture retention rather than chemical defense.

The term is descriptive and relative: a tissue described as nonglandular may still contain underlying glandular tissue in adjacent layers; conversely, a structure labeled glandular has secretory glands intrinsic to its epithelium or mucosa. Overall, nonglandular conveys absence of glandular secretion in the described tissue, distinguishing it from glandular forms used for lubrication, digestion, or defense.