• 16 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Exocrine Gland Diagram

Follow an exocrine gland from its duct to one acinus, then sort glands by shape and by how they secrete.

Exocrine Gland Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Duct
  2. Acinus (secretory unit)
  3. Capsule
  4. Lobule
  5. Septum
  6. Secretory cell (acinar cell)
  7. Lumen
  8. Secretory vesicles (secretory granules)
  9. Myoepithelial cell
  10. Simple gland (unbranched duct)
  11. Compound gland (branched duct)
  12. Tubular gland
  13. Alveolar gland (acinar gland)
  14. Merocrine secretion
  15. Apocrine secretion
  16. Holocrine secretion

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script, after study of two plates in Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition, 1918: fig. 1025, Section of submaxillary gland of kitten, and fig. 1105, Section of pancreas of dog, for the form of an acinus, its wedge cells with basal nuclei and a duct of cube-shaped cells. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the salivary glands, three exocrine glands

All 16 parts on the diagram

Show the list

A whole gland 5

  1. Duct The tube that carries the secretion to a surface.
  2. Acinus (secretory unit) A round cluster of cells that makes the secretion.
  3. Capsule The connective tissue coat round the whole gland.
  4. Lobule One compartment of the gland, walled off by septa.
  5. Septum A connective tissue partition between two lobules.

One acinus 4

  1. Secretory cell (acinar cell) A pyramid-shaped cell that makes the secretion.
  2. Lumen The space the cells empty into; it leads into the duct.
  3. Secretory vesicles (secretory granules) Packets of stored secretion near the tip of the cell.
  4. Myoepithelial cell A cell that contracts and squeezes the secretion out.

Shapes of gland 4

  1. Simple gland (unbranched duct) A gland whose duct does not branch.
  2. Compound gland (branched duct) A gland whose duct branches.
  3. Tubular gland A gland whose secretory part is shaped like a tube.
  4. Alveolar gland (acinar gland) A gland whose secretory part is a round sac.

Ways of secreting 3

  1. Merocrine secretion Vesicles open at the surface; the cell stays whole.
  2. Apocrine secretion The top of the cell pinches off with the secretion.
  3. Holocrine secretion The whole cell breaks down to release its contents.

How this list was compiled: Every name and detail line was checked on 2026-09-30 against Kenhub, Glands, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/glands, and Pancreas histology, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/pancreas-histology; Wikipedia, Exocrine gland, Acinus, Salivary gland, Myoepithelial cell, Merocrine, Apocrine and Holocrine, text only; and Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 1918 (public domain), https://archive.org/details/anatomyofhumanbo00grayrich. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script, after study of two plates in Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition, 1918 (public domain): fig. 1025, Section of submaxillary gland of kitten (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1025.png), and fig. 1105, Section of pancreas of dog (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1105.png), for the form of an acinus, its wedge cells with basal nuclei and a duct of cube-shaped cells. Own original drawing; nothing traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

An exocrine gland releases its product onto a surface through a duct. This exocrine gland diagram has four views: the whole gland, one acinus, four gland shapes and three ways of secreting.

Read the full guide

From the gland to one acinus

A capsule wraps the gland. Septa run in from it and divide the gland into lobules. The duct branches through the lobules, and each twig ends in an acinus. In an acinus, secretory cells surround a small lumen and store their product in vesicles. Myoepithelial cells wrap the outside and squeeze it.

Shapes and ways of secreting

A simple gland has an unbranched duct; a compound gland has a branched one. The secretory part is tubular or alveolar. In merocrine secretion the cell stays whole, in apocrine secretion its top pinches off, and in holocrine secretion the whole cell breaks down.

  • Name a gland in two steps: the duct first (simple or compound), then the secretory part (tubular or alveolar).
  • Holo- means whole: in holocrine secretion the whole cell is lost.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of an exocrine gland?

Two main parts: the secretory unit, which makes the product, and the duct, which carries it to a surface. A large gland also has a capsule round it and septa that divide it into lobules.

What is the difference between exocrine and endocrine glands?

An exocrine gland sends its product through a duct onto a surface, such as the skin or the lining of the gut. An endocrine gland has no duct and releases its hormones into the blood.

What is the difference between merocrine, apocrine and holocrine glands?

They differ in how the secretion leaves the cell. Merocrine cells release it by exocytosis and stay whole. Apocrine cells lose their tips with it. Holocrine cells break down completely, as in the sebaceous glands of the skin.

Is this the answer key to “correctly label the parts of an exocrine gland”?

That sentence is a publisher’s labeling activity. This page shows the same parts on drawings of our own, so the layout differs, but the names are the standard ones. Stroma means the capsule and septa together; parenchyma means the acini and ducts.

More quizzes

Show 6 more

Browse Human Body Quizzes